Once more
by FreeCorpKnight
Summary: The group had finished their quest, or so they thought. Now, a new threat arises and they realize that they had not finished off Jenova. With three powerful opponents bent on resurrecting Sephiroth in the Reunion, Avalanche must reunite to stop them.
1. Goodbye

I do not own Final Fantasy VII, any of its characters, or the Advent Children movie. Even though I really like the game and it would make a great Christmas present if I get all of the reserved rights, Square-Enix owns them and will probably never give them up. However, I do own this story and whatever uniqueness comes from it.

**Vincent Valentine**: …

**FreeCorpKnight**: What?

**Vincent Valentine**: You have one long pen name…

**FreeCorpKnight**: I know… (weeps)

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Heroes.

Saviors.

Protectors of the Planet.

These titles meant nothing to the eight figures standing in the distance, gazing at the brilliant sunset before them. All of them were thinking about the friend they have lost, the one who had given up her life so that the rest of them may live. The one who had paid the ultimate price and will never be able to see what she saved.

"Aeris…" Her name came out as a whisper, almost as a plea for her to come back into the land of the living. The blond-haired swordsman who spoke her name wavered a bit, his bright blue Mako-enhanced eyes filled with tears. "You… You should be the one with us… You, out of all of us… Deserved it the most… Goodbye…" Then, he quickly turned away and ran off toward the waiting airship with tears coming down his face.

As the leader of the group left, a pair of wine-colored eyes followed him. They belonged to his childhood friend and secret lover. Hopefully, he will one day learn the feelings she has and return them. Not now though. He doesn't need a lover but a friend. With that thought in mind, she closed her eyes and made a silent prayer to the dead flower girl: 'Aeris, I hope you're happy in the Promised Land. Cloud was right. You're the one who should be here. You're the one who saved us. Thank you… For everything.' With that, she left.

Six remained, watching as the sun dipped below the horizon. One of them shifted, his tattered red cloak adjusting to his new position. Piercing blood-red eyes stared out in the distance, contemplating what the group had done by defeating both Sephiroth and Jenova. "I have atoned for a sin," he murmured, his words barely audible due to the high collar of his cloak. "This crisis is finally over… I hope…"


	2. Suicide

Once more, I do not own Final Fantasy VII, any of its characters, or the Advent Children movie. The only thing I own here are my stories.

**FreeCorpKnight**: Vincent, you're my favorite character in the game.

**Vincent Valentine**: …

**FreeCorpKnight**: Fine, I change my mind. Cloud's my favorite character!

**Cloud Strife**: …

**FreeCorpKnight**: Jeez, you people suck!

**Vincent Valentine**:(draws Death Penalty)

**Cloud Strife**:(unsheathes Ultima Sword)

**FreeCorpKnight**: (whips out cheap ball-point pen) The pen is mightier than the sword!

**Vincent Valentine**: (click)

**FreeCorpKnight**: (whimpers) I should apologize…

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On the Highwind, someone was beating up a steel door…

"Dn it Cloud! Open this door NOW!" Tifa yelled, continuing her rapid attack. Despite all the commotion and fist-shaped impressions on its once smooth metal surface, the door remained locked and standing. Furthermore, Cloud wasn't responding, striking fear into her heart. 'He wouldn't! He wouldn't! He wouldn't! He can't give up now! I didn't tell him yet!' Her panicked thoughts ran wild as she continued to pound on the door.

"Sorry Cid…" Tifa growled, knowing how much the gruff pilot cares for his vessel and how pissed he would be if he were to stand there right now. She started to glow with energy, meaning: 1) she was going to use her limit break, 2) the door never had a chance, and 3) get as far away as possible!

Her fists became a blur, attacking the offending door even faster than before. Sparks flew whenever the Premium Heart struck. The door slowly bent inwards and by the time she finished with her fists, it hung loosely on its hinges. But oh no, Tifa wasn't finished yet. The door took up way too much of her time and as its reward, it gets an extra 'treat'. She somersaulted backwards and delivered a powerful kick, blasting it all the way across the room and out through the wall on the other side.

In the distance, a lanky man with a smoking cigarette in his mouth turned around after hearing something like a small explosion nearby. 'Sounded like it came from my fking ship… What!' His thoughts ended there as he grabbed his Venus Gospel and sprinted toward his airship, cursing like a madman. "Whoever did that is gonna get this dn spear shoved so far up his as…"

Back on the ship, Tifa grinned a little. 'Should have done that earlier…' Straightening herself out, she scanned the room for Cloud. What she saw next made her scream.

Cloud was sitting on his bed, his sword on his lap. Both of his wrists were on top, pressing down on the sharp edge of the blade.Already, the blood spilled was staining his pants maroon and a trickle was making its way onto the once-white sheets. Cloud was sitting in a puddle of his own blood. Hearing Tifa's scream, he winced.

"You shouldn't be here…" Cloud mumbled, his eyes staring off in the distance. "You shouldn't be here…"

Tifa, after recovering from her shocking discovery, realized that he was still alive. She immediately rushed to his side, knocking away his Buster Sword. Tears were coming down her face as Tifa reached for a green orb slotted in her armor.

" Cloud! How could you do this to me! How!" She cried as she made contact with the Restore materia. As she summoned the healing power of the Planet, a green glow emanated from the floor. After casting the strongest healing spell four times, she collapsed, drained from her efforts. The self-inflicted wounds had stopped bleeding and the wound had all but disappeared. Yet, the magic only healed him physically, not emotionally. Cloud was still a lifeless shell.

"Why?" she asked. "Why?" She fell onto her knees, kneeling in front of the man she loved. Tifa had been by his side ever since he joined Avalanche. All that time, she had been second-best compared to Aeris. It hurts to see Cloud and the Cetra together, especially when the party stopped by the Golden Saucer. Now, after seeing her love's suicide attempt, she knew that Cloud didn't care for her at all. He was willing to die for Aeris and leave her behind.

Through her blurred vision, Tifa spied an object in the room across the hall. Her sobs stopped as she began to think. With a sad smile, she got up and walked into Vincent's room. Picking up the Quicksilver, she returned to Cloud. He hadn't moved at all.

"I'm sorry… I wanted to tell you that you're more than a friend to me…" Tifa said while more tears came down her face. She reached up and traced the outline of Cloud's face with her fingers. Slowly, her hand made its way up to the blond spikes. 'Soft' She thought. 'So soft.' Her face came closer until she stared eye to eye with him, red meeting blue. Tifa looked deep into his eyes, looking for any sign of life in them. They didn't even blink.

"I love you" Tifa leaned close to kiss him, their lips touching for a short but blissful moment. Breaking away, she slowly raised the weapon to her head and closed her eyes. 'I love you Cloud Strife,'

She about to pull the trigger when a hand reached up and touched her face. Her sad eyes opened and widened when she saw who stopped her. 'Cloud?'


	3. The Promise

Blah Blah Blah… I do not own Final Fantasy VII, any of its characters, or the Advent Children movie. Though, in my dreams, I do.

**Cloud Strife**:Why did I try to commit suicide?

**Tifa Lockhart**: Same here. Why?

**FreeCorpKnight**: My story, my rules! And by the way Tifa, aren't you in love with…

**Tifa Lockhart**: (punches FreeCorpKnight and knocks him out) Heh Heh…

**Cloud Strife**: What was he talking about?

**Tifa Lockhart**: Oh nothing… Heh Heh…

**Cloud Strife**: (shrugs and walks away)

**FreeCorpKnight**: (in dream land) So… Many… Chocobos…

**Tifa Lockhart**: Don't tell him! (kicks FreeCorpKnight and walks away)

**FreeCorpKnight**: Owww…

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'Cloud?' Her heart stopped when she looked into his eyes. She was so confused by his action that she didn't even realize she dropped Vincent's gun. 'There's something different about them… Does he care about me? I thought he didn't… The only person he cares about is Aeris… But why did he stop me? Why?'

"Don't Tifa," Cloud's voice broke through her thoughts, stopping them at once. "Please don't do that… You don't deserve to die…"

"What! And you do?" She asked.

"Yes… I've failed her… I've failed you before… I've failed to stop Sephiroth before it came to this… I'm a failure…" He admitted bitterly. "I don't deserve to live…"

"No Cloud! You're not a failure! You stopped him before he could destroy Planet! You were there in the final battle against Sephiroth and Jenova! If it weren't for you, we would never have come this far!" Tifa yelled with her fists clenched in anger, enraged by the sight of her friend in this state of mind. "And what about me? Do you know how much you mean to me? Didn't I tell you that I love…"

Her words were stopped when a finger touched her lips. "No, you can't love me… I… I… I don't deserve it... I don't deserve anyone…"

"What are you talking about! We've stopped Meteor, defeated Jenova, saved the Planet, and you still think that you're worthless! Anyways, who are you to say who I can and cannot love!" Tifa screamed as she started to hit Cloud with her fists, taking out her frustration by hurting the one she loved. Cloud was taken back by her outburst, feeling sorry for her and ashamed that he was thinking such thoughts. He knew that she was right and that he was wrong. Even so, he still can't bring himself to having feelings for another or understand why Tifa would feel this way about him. 'Even if I can't have emotions, I can't stop Tifa from loving me… I know I'll hurt her if I tell her that I can't love anyone… Not anymore… Not after what happened to her… Even if I could, I'll fail her like I did to Aeris…'

"Tifa… I… I can't feel anything… I can't love… I can't return these feelings…" Cloud replied, taking the punches without question and looking down at the floor dejectedly. He was waiting for her to come back with some sort of angry response or having her leaving in frustration. But, she did neither.

Tifa stopped her attacks and leaned close. "I understand Cloud…" She whispered before kissing him once. Then, she kissed him again. "Remember that promise you made? You've promised to be my hero and save me whenever I need help. So far, you kept that promise because you've always been there for me. If you keep doing this to yourself, you won't be letting yourself down but me as well. Don't you understand? You'll be breaking your promise…" She said while tears came down her face.

Cloud knew that she was right, again. 'Curses… She's right… I can't stay like this forever… I'll bring everyone down with me. That can't happen. Tifa… Teef… She'll… She'll be so sad… Why couldn't I think? Why! WHY!' For the second time that day, he shed tears. He could only look at the person in front of him and think about how his actions before were utterly selfish. 'I… I wasn't trying to help anyone… I was doing it just for myself… I can't do that to her knowing how she feels about me… It's the least I can do for her… I need to fix this… I need to help her…'

He slowly brought his hands up to her face, cupping her cheeks. He moved closer and closer till they were only millimeters apart. Tifa was still crying but now, she was holding her breath. Both surprised and frightened at the same time. Then, Cloud started kissing her gently on her face and wiped her tears away.

"It's all right Teef," he said before finally pulling away. " I won't leave you now. I really want to be with you but…"

"I understand," she replied, relieved that he's back to normal or at the very least, not suicidal. "It takes time…"

Cloud looked around and for the first time, noticed the state of his room. And the lack of a door. And a rather large view of the world outside. "Ummm… Teef? What happened to my door and why is there a hole in the wall?"

Tifa could only laugh. After about fifteen minutes of emotional ups and downs, the first thing Cloud noticed was the results of her anger management issue. 'Yup. Typical Cloud.'

"You don't want to know…" She chuckled before leaning close to him.

"I guess so…" Cloud said, scratching the back of his head in the typical Cloud-is-confused expression of his.

"Cloud?" Tifa asked, in a serious yet unsure tone. "You do know how I feel about you right? You know…"

"Yes Teef" He said before drawing her closer. "You love me but ummm… Look… I can't say that I love you but I do care about you… So…"

"Thanks Cloud," she said smiling, a bit disappointed that he still can't get over those emotional barriers but nonetheless happy that he did care for her.

"No, thank you… For being here…" Cloud said before leaning in for a kiss.

The two shared deep and passionate kiss, one fueled by love and friendship. It would have lasted for eternity if it weren't for a certain pilot furiously making his way toward the ship.

The sound of boots stomping on the metal floor caught their attention but it was too late. "Ok, sorry to break your dn makeout scene BUT WHAT THE FK HAPPENED TO MY DOOR!"

'Dn' Both thought at the same time.

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**FreeCorpKnight**: Yay! Chapter 3 is done!

**Barret Wallace**: Took ya long enough!

**FreeCorpKnight**: I know. I know… But I had work and tennis and all that other _fun_ stuff…

**Vincent Valentine**: …

**FreeCorpKnight**: Besides, I finally got my first review! (pumps fist in the air)

**Cloud Strife**: Yes, thank you DemonSurfer for making the author happy…

**FreeCorpKnight**: (helps himself to some ice cream to celebrate the occasion)

**Tifa Lockhart**: And making him hyper… (watches FreeCorpKnight bounce off walls…)

**Vincent Valentine**: … This will be one long story…


	4. Rebuilding the Future

I do not own Final Fantasy VII, any of its characters, or the Advent Children movie. So please, don't sue me.

**FreeCorpKnight**: (passed out on the floor with mouth open and limbs spread out)

**Cloud Strife**: What happened to him?

**Vincent Valentine**: … He needs sugar…

**Yuffie Kisagari**: How about some skittles? (holds up half-empty bag of original skittles)

**Vincent Valentine**: … That'll work… (takes bag away from Yuffie and expertly throws them into FreeCorpKnight's mouth)

**FreeCorpKnight**: … (sits up, feeling rejuvenated by the fruity candy) Huh? Gak! (starts choking on the excess amount of skittles making their way down his throat)

**Tifa Lockhart**: (slaps FreeCorpKnight in the back, making him cough out a fairly large slimy ball of rainbow colors)

**Everyone**: (backs away) Ewww…

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The rest of Avalanche finally made their way back. None of them knew what had transpired between Cloud and Tifa. They didn't even hear the nice speech Cid gave them about how to take good care of his ship and his warning about using limit breaks onboard the vessel. The two guilty suspects only heard phrases that involved his spear and a very uncomfortable position involving one's posterior if the event ever happens again. For their punishment, the duo had to patch the hole with duct tape. This change was noticed by only the most attentive of the group, Vincent and Nanaki.

As for the Quicksilver, before the group came back, Tifa snuck back into Vincent's room and returned it. Though she positioned it exactly how she got it, she could not ignore the sinking feeling that Vincent knows or at the very least, suspects that someone had tampered with his weapon. All he did was glance at his gun, at Tifa, at Cloud, and then back. His expression didn't show his thoughts on the matter. Vincent was about to ask a question when the sudden motion of the Highwind taking off interrupted him, or rather a speeding airsick ninja. A blur of green collided with Vincent and the same person proceeded to lose her breakfast and lunch onto his red cloak. It turned a yellowish color and obviously, Vincent was very annoyed. Fishing out a tranquilizer, he gave it to Yuffie and carried her toward the bathroom. He shot a look to Cloud saying, 'I have questions for you later' before disappearing with the teen in his arms.

Soon, life returned to normal. Cid stopped piloting the Highwind and left the job to one of his trainees. He joined Barret and Cait Sith for a game of poker. The usual profanity and laughter came from their table. Tifa was in Cloud's room, the two of them silent and thoughtful. Both were still a little nervous and embarrassed about what had happened only minutes ago. Vincent came back from the bathroom, his cloak washed and restored to its blood-red color. Yuffie was in his arms, unconscious due to the tranquilizer and from all the food she had lost. He laid her down on her own bed and quietly shut the door. Vincent passed by Cloud's room and seeing the two together, he decided to postpone his questions for a better time. He made his way to Nanaki's room and the two talked about the Planet.

Several hours later, the airship made its way to Midgar. Everyone including Yuffie stood on the bridge, looking at the destruction below them. Though Meteor never did touch the ground, it was close enough to devastate more than half the city. Fires raged here and there but there wasn't too much for the flames to consume. All that was left of the mega-city was an empty skeleton of twisted metal. Countless lives had been lost and even more had been changed.

Cait Sith moved over to Cloud, his normally cheerful expression grim. "Cloud? This is Reeve. Can you hear me?"

"Yes Reeve. We hear you fine. Where are you? Are you ok?" Cloud asked.

"I'm fine. Me and the Turks helped out with the evacuation. Most of the city is with us underground but we… we…" Reeve's voice died out from the transmission as the faint sounds of crying could be heard.

"I know. You did your best." Cloud said, consoling the Shrina employee. "Ummm… Reeve? Are you going to rebuild Midgar?"

"… Yes, why?" Reeve asked.

"Well… Do you mind if I help you out?" The leader of Avalanche asked. "I've seen a lot but nothing compares to this. I can't leave this city as it is…"

"Neither can I," Tifa interjected.

"Nor I," Barret added. "Been like home to me."

'They got all the good materia. I can't resist…Gotta have them…' Yuffie thought. "I gotta stay away from Godo so I guess I'll be sticking around..."

"I will help," Vincent said, surprising everyone in the room. "There is still much that I have to atone and this is a start."

"You all… All of you really want to help? I mean yes! Yes!" Reeve cut in, his hopes rising. "I'll meet you outside the old Shinra headquarters tomorrow morning!" With that, the transmission ended.

Nanaki turned to this friends and before he could speak, they knew. "It's been great traveling with friends like you. I must protect the canyon so I'm afraid that I cannot join you. I hope we meet again in the future."

"Sorry guys," Cid added. "Gotta go back to Rocket Town and get this dn ship fixed."

"Uh huh… Is that your excuse to see Shera?" Yuffie teased.

"WHAT! Dn fking kid! What do you know?" Cid yelled. Yuffie stuck her tongue out when he called her "kid".

"That you're in love with her," Yuffie answered before running away from the pilot.

"Why you little bh!" Cid tore off after the elusive ninja with spear in hand.

Cloud sighed. "Back to normal I guess…"

The next day, the Highwind came upon the dilapidated Shrina headquarters. Though it still stands, it's obvious that the inside of the building is a wreck. As promised, Reeve was waiting outside, flanked by the Turks.

"Let's mosey" Cloud said before getting off. Cid grumbled a question about their leader's masculinity. Minutes later, the aircraft flew away, destined for Cosmo Canyon and Rocket Town.

The two sides eyed each other, both ready to defend themselves if the others act. They had considered the others as enemies before and those memories were fresh on their minds. Ignoring this, Reeve laid out his plan, directing groups to clean up rubble and look for survivors. Weeks had passed and eventually, Avalanche and the Turks came to better terms, understanding that the task before them is far more important than their petty arguments.

The crisis is over and all that is left is to pick up the pieces. Or so they thought…

Two weeks later, something in the former Shinra Headquarters moved. The glass case of a man-sized vessel slid open and smoke billowed out. After most of the gas had dissipated, a man stumbled out, gasping for breath. Brushing his silver hair aside, his reptilian eyes searched the room, looking for anything that may hint of his location.

Part of the ceiling had collapsed, revealing a small hole leading to the outside world. Though the opening was too small to fit through, the half-moon outside illuminated a small part of his confines. From the silvery light, he saw a messy room with medical equipment strewn all over the place. The only other thing he saw was darkness.

"Ahem…" Someone coughed. A person in a wheelchair came out of the shadows and looked at him. "Hello Kadaj. It is time."

Kadaj merely looked at him, trying to remember who he is and how he knows him. The gray cloak draped over the mysterious person certainly did not help at all. All he could see was the person's mouth and from the voice, he assumed that the one he's talking to is male. "Who are you?"

"Hmmm… My name does not concern you but you will know me as Mother" The man replied. Kadaj looked a bit confused, wondering why the man before him would assume such a feminine title. Yet, he could not help but feel comforted when near him, almost as if his mother was indeed in front of him.

"Do not worry. All will reveal themselves in due time. Look…" Mother said, pointing to two other pods similar to the one Kadaj came from. "Your brothers awake."

In a manner similar to his, two more men stumbled out. One seemed to be more muscular with shorter hair. The other was the opposite, smaller but with longer hair. Both took longer than Kadaj to recover from their change in environment.

"Meet Loz and Yazoo" Mother said, pointing to the muscular one first. After a moment of silence, he continued, "Our time to rule the Planet nears…"

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**FreeCorpKnight**: Yay! I got more reviews! (does happy dance)

**Vincent Valentine **and **Rude**: …

**Reno**: So what… Not like you're gonna do anything for them…

**FreeCorpKnight**: Oh yeah? (sneaks off)

**Reno**: So Rude, any clue on what this crazy author's gonna do?

**Rude**: … (shakes head)

**Reno**: (sigh)

**FreeCorpKnight**: (comes back, hiding something behind his back) You two! (points at Reno and Vincent) Stay still! (stabs them both with different needles and sneaks off again)

**Reno**: Ouch! (rubs arm) What did he do that for?

**Vincent Valentine**: (shrugs)

(intense whirling sound could be heard)

**Reno**: What the…

(a bell rings)

**Reno**: Huh?

(Vincent Valentine and Reno clones walk out)

**Reno**: (pokes his clone with nightstick) Dn…

(FreeCorpKnight returns)

**FreeCorpKnight**: I am a genius! Now, to my loyal reviewers, I give you their clones. They will be yours! You can make them do whatever you want! Mwuh! Ha! Ha! (laughs hysterically)

(FreeCorpKnight gives clones away to DemonSurfer and Wrath)

**FreeCorpKnight**: Ha! Ha! I am more brilliant than Professor Gast and Hojo combined! I will rule the world! (walks off crackling)

**Yuffie Kisagari**: Note to self: Never give author sugar.


	5. Alone

The usual... I own nothing here save what I write, which isn't a lot… Anyways, this is my version of the Final Fantasy VII movie, Advent Children. Sorta a novelization of the movie based on all the trailers I've seen mixed with a bit of my imagination. Enjoy and do review!

**FreeCorpKnight**: (slumped over desk groaning)

**Reno**: (pokes at author with nightstick) What's wrong with him?

**Elena**: His chapters are so short compared to the others. All of his are less than 2000 words…

**FreeCorpKnight**: Don't remind me… So much to write… Must… Continue… (falls asleep)

**Reno**: And?

**Elena**: A lot of people have over 5000 words a chapter. I think he's jealous and a bit overworked…

**Reno**: Yeah… The sugar ban's not helping either. He needs a new incentive… (grins evilly)

**Elena**: (confused) Huh? What are you up to?

**Reno**: Heh heh heh… (shocks author with nightstick, waking him up) Write or else I'll do that again! I'll turn the power all the way up next time!

**FreeCorpKnights**: (whimpers) Okay okay… (begins to write)

**Rude**: …

**Reno**: What! It's our job!

**Elena**: (shoots Reno with her pistol and walks away)

**Reno**: (cries when strands of red hair falls)

**Rude**: …

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Author's Note

I received a request to make this a Yuffietine (Vincent x Yuffie). I'm going to try to make it one though please bear with me. This is my first fanfiction ever so if I mess anything up or if you have something to pick about, don't hesitate to tell me. I also like Vincent (being my favorite character in the game) and the idea of him being in a relationship worries me. It kind of destroys his image being wise and emotionless. Yuffie is the antithesis (complete opposite) of Vincent so it will be a bit hard to do. But, enough said, I'll try to keep his persona and throw in a bit of romance between him and Yuffie. This chapter will be centered more on Vincent/Yuffie than Cloud/Tifa though the story (like the movie) will remain mostly focused on Cloud. Hope my loyal reviewers enjoy this!

Oh! One more change! I will not be censoring all those bad words... Every time I uploaded the file, the filler between the first and last letter would disappear. Don't worry though. Just as long as Cid's not around, there won't be too much crude language.

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* * *

It's been more than a year. One long year since the legendary group named Avalanche saved Planet. Close to four hundred days since the heroic band of warriors defeated the parasitic alien and the world's most fearsome general. The anniversary of a friend's parting, her sacrifice to save them all. It's been a long time for some but not long enough for others. 

Midgar, the city where most of the troubles began, was still recovering. The upper levels or what was left of them had been removed, freeing the slums below from darkness. As for the lower sectors, only five of the eight were inhabitable. The other sectors were nothing more than fields of rubble filled with hungry monsters. Yet, there were still parts of the city that had remained untouched through it all. In the outskirts of the city, the old Mako generators still stand tall. All of them were shut down since Reeve didn't want them draining away the planet's life. As a result, they remained in place, neglected and almost forgotten. The plans to demolish them had just recently been introduced though no one was too concerned about them. Yet, these were not the most visible landmarks. Displayed prominently in the center stands the old Shinra headquarter, a poignant reminder of the company's former glory and oppression. Possessing an ominous aura, the building frightens away all but the bravest of souls.

As for Avalanche, they stayed at Midgar, helping Reeve with the recovery efforts. They've provided security for the survivors, medical attention to the wounded, and most importantly, hope for the living. While Cloud, Barret, and Vincent kept watch for monsters, Tifa and Yuffie used their mastered materia in the field hospitals. Eventually, their services were no longer needed. More guards were trained and there were few if any physical injuries to treat. The group then mingled with the survivors, giving words of encouragement here and there. They gave support whenever and wherever someone needed it. What affected them the most was the startling number of orphans, their parents lost when Meteor neared. Everyone, especially Tifa, took extra measures to console and distract them from their current situation.

When they weren't busy, the five of them shared the evening together. Barret would spend time with his dear Marlene who had recently moved in with them. He often played with her and told tales about North Corel. Cloud would sit outside and look at the stars, thinking about Aeris, Tifa, and their adventure. Most of the time, Tifa joins him, reminiscing about their childhood in Nibelhiem. As for the other two, Yuffie tries to steal Vincent's materia and he caught her each and every time. Eventually, she settled for a more immature activity, playing pranks on the others.

One night, Yuffie's plan backfired terribly and Vincent's worst nightmare came true…

A ragged orphan came up to Vincent. "Mister?"

"..." The man pretended to ignore him though deep inside, he knew that the child would not leave.

"Mister, can you tell us a story?" The child insisted, tugging the front of his cloak.

"Yeah! How you beat Sep-poo-roth! That one!" Another piped up.

The crimson man inadvertently winced. When the child mispronounced the name, it reminded him of his sin when he failed to protect Lucrecia and her child from that mad scientist Hojo. 'My dear Lucrecia… I can only wish I did more to help you…'

"Please…" The two boys continued their efforts, their eyes begging. Their words brought his attention back to them and he did not look happy. Not one bit.

Vincent was annoyed. Very annoyed. 'Who in their right mind would go to me for a story? I don't look friendly, intimidating at the very least. I don't like talking. Unless someone set me up…' He looked around for his companions. None of them were visible. 'Someone definitely set me up…' Then again, there is really only one suspect. 'Cloud and Tifa are usually away, somewhere private so they can look at stars and talk with each other. Barret is spending time with Marlene and he's probably giving her another tour of the city. That leaves one other person. …'

"Well mister? Are you gonna tell us a story?" The two begged.

"Tell me first. Who told you to come to me?" Vincent was determined to know who was conspiring behind his back. "Probably that ninja. She's been very quiet today…"

"I dunno… Somebody came up to us and said that if we ask you for a story, we get free candy!" The first boy triumphantly raised his first filled with hard candy. "She looks a bit older than us but she's still a kid…"

"HEY! I'm not a kid! I'm seventeen! Remember that!" Someone shrieked behind them. After a pause, that person cursed, "Damn!"

'Hmmm…' Thought Vincent. 'Quite obvious that it would be Yuffie.'

"I'll tell the story if you bring the girl who told you that to me. She should be over there," Vincent pointed in the direction where the outburst came from. 'She will suffer…'

'Damn! He's gonna kill me! I know it! Gotta run. Fast!' Yuffie thought before the children showed up. 'Fuck! Too late! Waaah! I'm too young to die… I haven't touched Vinnie's materia yet… Waaaaaah!'

She let herself be pulled away, toward her impending doom. Vincent was waiting, glaring at the teenager. Yuffie felt very uncomfortable under his gaze and tried to explain her actions.

"Ummm… Heh heh… Nice night tonight huh?" Vincent did not look amused with her words.

"Did I tell you before that you look good in red?" Yuffie's mind immediately went into chaos. 'Wait! Did I really say that? No! No! No! I don't like Vinnie! Vinnie's just a friend! One that's gonna kill me soon… Waaah!'

"…" Vincent's face didn't betray his emotions. 'Why did she tell me that? … She's trying to talk her way out of this… She must be pretty desperate to complement me… Possibly because she thinks that I'm going to hurt her…'

"Sorry! Sorry! I didn't mean it like that! Really!" Yuffie was screaming by now and blushing madly as well. 'Damn! Damn! Damn!'

The two boys giggled. Poking at the girl's sides, they caught her attention. "Do you two like each other?"

"Yeah, you two seem to like each other a lot!" The other boy added.

"…" Vincent turned away. 'Such naïve little children… If we were in love, would we be like this? No, it'll be totally different… It'll never be like the time with Lucrecia… My dear Lucrecia… Such fairness destroyed by that evil… Lucrecia…'

'Well… Heh heh… Since I'm gonna die, I might as well take him down with me! And I know that he isn't mean enough to kill me in front of the kids! Nyuk! Nyuk! I'm a genius! Wait, or would he… Damn! Ah, to hell with it!' Yuffie thought before answering in the most energetic way possible. "Yes! Me and Vinnie are in love with each other!" To add to Vincent's surprise and discomfort, she leapt at him, giving him a nice warm hug.

'What… Is… She… Doing?' Vincent was seething right now. 'I wasn't going to hurt her before but now…'

"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" The orphans chanted, forgetting about the story and finding this far more interesting.

'Oh damn. What have I done?' Yuffie blushed at the thought of kissing him. Well, more of the fact that she was going to be shot multiple times after this. It didn't help when Vincent's hand was straying toward the hidden holster where he kept the Death Penalty. 'Oh no…' He's losing control.

'Kill… Must not kill… Must not get angry…' Vincent thought as he blinked at the children's suggestion. 'Stay back Chaos,' he added when he sensed the demon's presence. The fiend crackled at Vincent's predicament and obeyed his host's command. After all, it was quite entertaining to see Vincent in this situation and it didn't even have to do anything.

'Oh well. Can't get any worse… Maybe he'll be so embarrassed that he won't kill me… At least I can run away before he can… Then again, he has a gun and can shoot it pretty good… Oh well…' Yuffie stood on her toes, trying to get taller so she could get to his mouth. 'Stupid cloak of his! He's too tall and even if he stoops down, it'll get in the way…'

"Here, let us help!" The two kids exclaimed. They tugged forcefully at the cloak's front, dragging the gunslinger's face down to Yuffie's height. Then, they quickly undid the clasp holding the collar together.

'He has such a nice face… Well, if I die, at least I get to kiss a handsome guy… WHAT! What am I thinking about! Stupid Yuffie! Stupid Yuffie! Bad! Bad! Bad!' Her face turned into an even darker shade of red when she looked at Vincent's face, noticing two things: 1) His face was the epitome of perfection, flawless and smooth, and 2) His trademark death glare was directed at her. She could feel his red eyes drilling through her head as if they were lasers. 'Damn! I'm not gonna live through the night'

"Well, are you two gonna kiss?" The two children looked up expectantly.

Yuffie slowly leaned forward. Just when her lips were about to meet his, he stopped her with his hand. Instead, he knelt and grabbed her right hand. Bringing it to his face, he kissed it gently. 'What is going on…' Both thought before being lost in the moment.

Click! FLASH!

Breaking away suddenly, Vincent looked around for the source. A little way to their right, Barret was barely standing, shaking uncontrollably and straining to keep his laughter in. Using the camera in his hands, he took two more pictures, capturing both Yuffie's frozen and Vincent's threatening expressions.

'Oh… Crap...' Vincent and Yuffie thought at the same time. 'Not good. Not good at all…'

Then Cloud and Tifa walked in, finished with their stargazing. The blond looked at the red-face and surprisingly silent Yuffie to the scowling Vincent near her. Then he saw Barret rolling madly on the ground with tears of laughter in this eye. Putting two and two together, he had an idea of what had happened and allowed a smirk to show on his face. 'Never saw this coming… Vincent sure has changed… If only a little…'

Tifa, on the other hand, thought otherwise. Thinking that something terrible had happened, she rushed to Yuffie's side, asking question after question relating to her health. Yuffie just stood there, still quite red. 'Oh… My… Gawd… This can't be happening….'

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" The ninja screeched.

Immediately, Barret stopped laughing. Vincent tossed her a concerned glance. Cloud took a step back, unsure of what to expect. Tifa jumped, frightened by the sudden change in her friend's attitude. The two boys who had pushed Vincent and Yuffie together had disappeared… conveniently.

"GIVE ME THAT OR ELSE!" Yuffie screamed, whipping out her Conformer.

"Yuffie, it was just a…" Barret tried to explain before the shuriken flew at him, shaving off some hair. "WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT FOR! Can't you take a damn…"

Barret never got to finish as her Conformer came back and in the process, cut the camera cleanly in two. With a look of horror, he ran as fast as possible away from the possessed teenager, dropping the broken pieces along the way.

Yuffie watched as the man fled from her, obviously scared for his life. As Barret disappeared in the distance, she grinned. 'Mwuh! Ha! Ha! Nobody messes with Yuffie! Ninja rules! Nyuk! Nyuk!'

Tifa slowly reached her hand out and touched Yuffie on the shoulder, unsure of her friend's mental state. "Are you ok?"

"Yup! Never been better!" She replied before bursting out in laughter. "Did you see the look on his face before he ran away? It was like he'd seen a ghost or something…"

'Maybe because he thought that he was going to be one…' Tifa thought before walking away, realizing that all was back to normal. Cloud shrugged and followed her.

After spending a long time of clutching her sides and laughing, Yuffie regained her composure and looked around. She saw that the others had left and the only other person with her was Vincent. The joy on her face was immediately replaced with fear. 'Oh no… I forgot… He's gonna kill me…'

Vincent merely stared at her and walked away. When he was out of Yuffie's sight, he allowed himself a small smile. 'She thought I was going to hurt her… How naïve… Still a child in heart…'

After a while, he heard a small crunch. Vincent looked around before realizing that the sound came from beneath. He had stepped on something. Looking at the ground, he realized that it was half of Barret's camera. Vincent picked the part up and inspected it. Though the camera itself had been destroyed and somewhat flattened, the roll of film containing the picture was not damaged at all. "…" He picked it up and went off to his tent.

Yuffie was still standing and haven't moved an inch since Vincent left. "Huh?" She was very confused. 'Well, at least I'm alive… Damn! I thought my plan would work. So sure of it! Those two ruined everything… Actually, it wasn't so bad … I did get a kiss. It's my very first one too… Too bad it was on the lips… Still, Vinnie's a good kisser… Wait… What am I thinking! NO! I will not think like that! I will not think like that! What is going on? Waaah! I'm so lost!' Yuffie growled and stomped away.

The next evening, the two little boys came back. This time, they had a few more friends and kept their distance away from two certain individuals, the hyperactive teenager and the mysterious man in the shadows. Not a word was spoken about their supposed kiss and that was probably for the better. The small crowd of youngsters approached Cloud and Tifa, asking for the same story in a similar manner as yesterday. The two Avalanche members relented and each night for the next two weeks, they would give the children a bedtime story with the plot somehow related to their journey.

One week after the story was finished, Yuffie left. She didn't say why or where she was going. The fact that none of their materia was stolen confused the four even more. Yet, Yuffie had been abnormally quiet ever since that night as though something was on her mind. Cloud blamed Barret and yelled at him, accusing him of being the reason she left since he was the one who took the picture. Tifa was preoccupied with holding the two men back, preventing them from killing each other. Vincent stayed quiet, brooding a bit more than usual.

The next day, Vincent also disappeared but he left a note behind explaining his action.

_To my dear companions,_

_I fear that it is time for me to part ways. I do not regret joining your party for by doing so, I have atoned for my sins. Do not worry. I will be safe and promise will not go back to Nibeliem unless I truly need to. I will look for Yuffie and make sure she's safe. If you ever need me, use the PHS. I wish you all the best of luck and goodbye for now. I'm sure we will meet again in the future._

_Sincerely,_

_Vincent Valentine_

Eleven days later, Barret and Marlene left for North Corel. Barret said that Midgar was still unsafe and he didn't want any harm to come upon his precious daughter. Cloud and Tifa couldn't disagree. Midgar was in ruins and monsters were a constant threat. Still, his absence affected Tifa greatly. That night, she cried.

"What's wrong Teef?" Cloud asked before taking a seat next to his friend.

"It's… It's just that everyone's gone! Cid went back in Rocket Town. Nanaki's in Cosmo Canyon. Reeve is too busy and he took Cait Sith with him. Yuffie left us and Vincent followed. Who knows where they are. And now, Barret's gone with little Marlene…" She sobbed.

"No. That's not true. I'm still here." Cloud said.

"But you'll leave soon… Just like the rest of them…" Tifa continued to cry.

"No I won't. I promised, remember? Thought you knew that I keep my promises. Teef, you have to trust me…" Cloud slowly wrapped his arms around her, hoping that his action would calm her down.

Tifa leaned her head back in response, sighing deeply. "I know Cloud but it's just that… I'm so scared of being alone."

"Nobody wants to be alone. Listen, I'll stay with you. Besides, you didn't forget about the Turks right? They'll make good company…" Cloud joked, remembering how tense it was each time the two groups met. 'Thought we'll kill each other the first time we met."

"No, I didn't forget…" She chuckled. "But, I rather be with you…" She looked at him, seeing how he would respond. 'Please… Don't leave me alone…'

"Same here. I rather be with you than those Shinra suits," Cloud replied without a pause. "Besides, I don't think I want to be with anyone else…"

Tifa blushed, pleased with his answer. "Thanks." They spent the rest of the night in each other's arms, happy and content.

Meanwhile, a cloaked man strode into Wutai. He marched right up to the Pagoda Temple, the legendary five story building where ninjas were trained. With ease, he gracefully leapt up to the roof of the first story, then the second story, and continued until he was at the top. He looked about and found the person he was looking for. He slowly walked toward her.

"What do you want Vincent and why are you following me? She asked, not even turning to face him. 'Can't he leave me alone?'

He froze, not expecting her to notice his presence. Then again, she ran away the past three times he met her without giving a reason. 'Should have known.'

"I do not know why you keep running. I'm not here to bring you back to Midgar. I just wanted to ensure your safety and well-being." He answered.

"I'm fine now go away before I call Godo." Yuffie threatened. 'Please… Just go away…'

"If that is your wish… However, I must give you this. I will set it here." Vincent reached into his pockets and pulled out a small book. He laid the book down on the roof and immediately turned away, disappearing into the night.

'What was that?' Yuffie thought she heard placed on a space behind her. When she sensed that Vincent wasn't nearby, she turned around and scampered toward the object. Picking it up, she looked at it. 'It's a diary… A blank one… Why did he give it to me? Hmmm… I wonder what's inside…' Curiosity got the better of her and she opened the cover of the book. Three small slips fluttered out. With quick reflexes, she caught all of them before the wind could carry them away. Her eyes widened when she saw what they were.

They were the three pictures that Barret had taken. 'I thought they were destroyed when my Conformer came back… It fell apart. I know it… But how did he get them?'

Her mind stopped when a gust of wind blew one of the pictures out of her hands. She gasped and jumped for it, too late to realize that she just jumped over the edge. 'Oh… Damn…'

"Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo...," She wailed as she plummeted down toward the hard ground below. 'This can't be the way this ends! It can't be! All this for a stupid picture! Noooooooooooooooooooooooooo…'

Right before she expected to hit concrete, she closed her eyes, not wanting to see her own death. By doing so, she didn't see the shadow moving quickly toward her, reaching for her falling form and catching her just in time.

"Oof!" Yuffie moaned. 'Hmmm… I don't remember concrete being this soft… Huh!' She was opened her eyes and saw a golden arm. 'Gold… Arm? Vincent?'

Indeed it was. He was the one who caught her. Vincent was walking away when he stopped suddenly, thinking about his actions and the questions that Yuffie had raised. 'Why am I following her… I know she is capable of handling most situations… Then why do I have this feeling that I must look after her… It's almost as if I…' At that point, he heard Yuffie scream and rushed back to the pagoda. He watched as her lithe form fell from the skies and putting on an extra burst of speed, he managed to save her before she met her demise. Coming to a stop, he looked down at Yuffie with worry in his eyes. "Are you all right?"

"…" Yuffie was still a bit shocked that she didn't die. "…"

"Good." Vincent lowered her to the ground and walked away, not wishing to confront her again.

"Hey wait!" Yuffie exclaimed when she realized his absence. Her yell caught his attention and he slowly turned around, glaring at her.

"I want to say… Thank you." She whispered.

"You're welcome and if I may, I will depart." He spun around and continued his trek out of the city.

"Wait I said!" Yuffie stamped on the ground. "I wanna know why you're doing this to me! Why did you follow me?"

Vincent stiffened when she asked her question. Not a sound was made as the two friends tried to make sense of what's happening between them. Both were denying it. The silence was broken moments later by Vincent's confession. "I care about you."

The ninja gasped. 'Okay… This is getting a bit weird… Vincent? Caring for me? Whoa… Is Meteor gonna come down again?' She shook her head. "Ummm…"

"Don't think about it." Vincent cut in, intent on ending the conversation. 'Please don't go on about this…'

"What do you mean? I've been thinking about it ever since you kissed me! I can't get you out of my mind! Jeez! And you tell me to not think about it… Well guess what! I can't!" Yuffie yelled before falling silent, a bit surprised by her own admission. 'Okay… What did I just say? … Oh crap!'

'Oh, so that's why she keeps avoiding me… Funny, it's probably the same reason that I'm following her…' Vincent contemplated before replying. "Same here."

"WHAT!" Yuffie was in hysterics. "What do you mean by that!"

"…" Vincent's typical reponse.

"Oh. I get it… Does Vinnie like me?" Yuffie teased. "Oh, I knew that my womanly charms would work on you!"

"Whatever." He deadpanned.

"I'll take that as a yes…" She replied, nervously shuffling her feet. "I think I like you too."

Vincent raised his eyebrow at this. 'Great… What have I done?'

"Well? Are you gonna say anything or just stand there?" Silence was her answer. "Come on! Say something!"

"Goodbye." Vincent started to walk away but before he went far, something came down from above. After catching it with his human hand, he realized what it was. It was the picture that Yuffie had almost died for. It was the one showing Vincent kissing her hand, captured perfectly under the starlit sky. 'Why…'

He sighed and came back to her. "Here," he said, handing her the photo. "Keep this as a memory of our times."

"Thanks," she mumbled, both happy and depressed at the same time. "Ummm… Vinnie? When are you gonna go back to Midgar?"

"Why do you ask?" He questioned.

"I wanna go back with you," Yuffie answered, a bit shy about her question. 'Please say yes. Please say yes.'

"…" Vincent thought before answering. "I'm leaving now. With luck, we might get there before the sun rises."

"Yay! Yahoo!" Yuffie exclaimed when she noticed him saying we instead of I. In joy, she jumped onto him, surprising Vincent. He stumbled back, off balance with the new weight clinging to his front. He lost his footing soon afterwards and fell forward, trapping the young ninja beneath him. An awkward and embarrassing position to say the least.

"Uh…" Yuffie started to say as her face heated up. Vincent quickly got off and looked away. "My apologies."

'I actually kinda liked it… No! Can't think like that! So perverted! Ewww!' Yuffie covered her face with her hands, a futile attempt to hide her blush. 'What is going on?'

'Why am I embarrassed?' Vincent asked himself. 'It's not like I enjoyed or disliked it… It was merely an accident.'

Vincent got up first. Giving her a helping hand, the two were back on their feet, ready to journey back to Midgar.

Three hours later, Yuffie let out a great yawn. "Ummm Vinnie?"

"What?" He asked.

"Can we stop and rest?" She almost fell, drained from her near death encounter and the long trek.

"No. We're almost there." He said.

"Please…" The ninja begged. She could barely stay awake.

"No." Vincent repeated.

"Fine!" She said as she fell onto the soft ground, eyes closing due to exhaustion. "I'm sorry. I can't go on. Just let me rest for a while…"

"No. Get back up. Just half an hour away and after that, you can sleep." He reasoned. Seeing that she wasn't about to move on her own, he tried pulling her up but failed. When Yuffie wanted to sleep, she gets sleep.

"What do you want me to do? Carry you?" Vincent sighed. He wasn't expecting her to take his proposition seriously and was quite surprised when Yuffie nodded her head, eyes still closed.

'Well, she is tired and we cannot stop when we're so close…' The man in the crimson cloak groaned, "All right…"

For the rest of the trip, Vincent carried a sleeping Yuffie on his back, piggyback style. The sight of the girl on his back earned him stares from the Midgar citizens. Every time he caught someone doing that, he glared back, daring the person to say something. The huge gun at his side and his dark appearances scared them away, their eyes quickly adverting themselves as if they saw their own deaths. Though the attention Vincent received annoyed him, it was not the reason he was upset. It was the drool uncomfortably making its way down his back from Yuffie's open mouth. All that time, one thought was going through his head.

'This was a bad idea… A very bad idea'

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(Note that this is different from Author's Note. Different name. This blurb deals with less serious matters that doesn't affect the story.)

Author's Babble

So how did you all like this one? Much longer than my previous chapters! Plus, it's almost there! One more chapter and then it's off to the good stuff! Advent Children! Can't wait to do that Midgar scene with Bahamut Sin and the Hadions. Gonna be so fun! Oh, before I get carried away, I would like to thank my readers for being patient and if you haven't, please review.

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**Rude**: …

**Elena**: Shut up…

**Rude**: …

**Elena**: I know. I know. His chapters are a lot longer…

**Rude**: …

**Elena**: Yes, I know it's almost 5000 words long…

**Rude**: …

**Elena**: But that includes the extra stuff like this and the disclaimer!

**Rude**: …

**Elena**: Fine! Don't talk to me!

**Rude**: …

**Elena**: Why are you here anyways?

**Rude**: I actually want to know where Reno went off to.

**Elena**: (blushing) Oh… Ummm… I think he's at the bar…

**Reno**: (walks in drunk and unstable) Fifty-nine bottles of beer on the wall! Fifty-nine bottles of beer! Take one down! Pass it around! Fifty-eight bottles of beer on the wall!… (collapses)

**Rude**: …

**Elena**: Yeah, he's gonna have one hell of a hangover…

**Rude**: I agree.

**Elena**: … Hey! You talked!

**Rude**: (runs his hand down his face)…


	6. Midgar Worries

I own only the story you're reading. I don't own Final Fantasy VII or its movie, Advent Children. I wish I did and if so, I'll be very rich and living in luxury. I'll also be able to change the plot to however I want it to be, for better or worse… Anyways, enjoy the chapter and please review.

**FreeCorpKnight**: Mwuh! Ha! Ha!

**Yuffie Kisagari**: Uh oh… This is bad…

**FreeCorpKnight**: I will clone Square-Enix and then it will be mines!

**Cloud Strife**: What is 'it'?

**FreeCorpKnight**: The deed to Final Fantasy VII! I will own you all! Mwuh! Ha! Ha!

**Vincent Valentine**: … … … Wouldn't the clone technically be property of the original Square-Enix? You are using Hojo's laboratory and it is their property. So technically, the clone would be theirs because you used their technology and equipment. You don't own us either way...

**FreeCorpKnight**: Damn! (_growls and walks away_)

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Author's Request  
Does anyone here know why I can't have pounds keys,asterisks,ortildes (wavysymbol)displayed? I write my story in Microsoft Word and whenever I upload it on they all go away. It gets real annoying since I can't censor some of the language and that really plays down on Cid's character. It's also harder to put narrate thoughts and the like. Just want some help.  
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--- Midgar 1 --- 

Time heals all wounds. Or so the wise men say. How long does it take to get past the lost of a loved one? How long must it take to move forward? How long can you wait for your love to be returned? How long? A week? A month? Two years? As it turned out, none of them were long enough...

Tifa scrubbed the wooden tabletop vigorously with a gray rag, sighing sadly. 'It just wasn't the same.' She thought. True, her new bar named Final Heaven was modeled like her former one, the one crushed in the ruins of Sector 7. Yet, despite the similar surroundings, it felt so… different. Maybe it's because of the lack of customers and bustle that accompanies them. Almost nobody comes anymore because of a mysterious disease called Geostigma. It can destroy someone both mentally and physically, sometimes making death seem merciful. Members of the medical community were baffled, not knowing how it spreads or even where it had originated. Even though it did not seem contagious, people were advised not to gather in crowded places… like her bar. Tifa thought of it as nonsense. The only thing the doctors know for sure is that approximately two years ago, the first cases appeared. Now, hundreds and possibly thousands of people were afflicted. There seems to be no cure, no hope for those unfortunate souls. What makes it worse is that it targets children for reasons unknown. Maybe it's because their immune systems are weaker. She just didn't know and for that reason, she pitied them.

That's why part of the establishment is an orphanage. The basement below and several rooms behind the bar were devoted to the children Tifa took under her care. She had adopted more than ten children whose parents had gone missing or were confirmed dead after Meteor. After a long dull and boring day of work, spending time with them always brightened the day for her. They would watch TV, play games, or listen to her stories. There was never a dull moment.

She finished cleaning her bar and looked around. There wasn't much to do. Everything's clean and organized. There wasn't a speck of dust in sight. The children were all sleeping off the lunch she served them. If they happened to wake up, Rude would be there for them. Yes, the same Rude from the Turks. He had shown up one day all of the sudden and asked if he could help out. At that moment, Tifa was trying to cook a meal for a customer and baby-sit five young toddlers. Her hands were literally full. Rude silently took over the kitchen and told her to watch over the kids. She was grateful for his intervention though the customer got sick and never came back. It was a small sign of Avalanche and the Turks beginning to trust each other and maybe even become friends.

'Nothing else to do… Maybe I'll go upstairs and see if Cloud needs anything…' Yup. Cloud worked upstairs. The very same person who she has feelings for and still wouldn't let go of his past. After Meteor, the two of them almost killed themselves. At that moment, he restated his promise, saying that he would always be there for her no matter what. She had always hoped that his commitment would further their relationship, turning it into something more than just friendship. It didn't quite turn out that way. For some time, it seemed as though the two would get together. When they were helping Reeve, they would spend hours under the stars, enjoying each other's company. It was so peaceful and in Tifa's point of view, a little romantic. Then, six months ago, the two of them decided to build a house, one to live in together. That house turned out to be her Final Heaven. Maybe it was because of its location that he started to change, becoming more and more reclusive. The bar was built near the church where Cloud met Aeris. He visited it every day, sitting on the patch of flowers with his head in his hands and bemoaning about how he failed her as a bodyguard. When her house was finished, he decided to live in the church. Tifa remembered that they had a big fight over it. She yelled at him for not getting past Aeris and he countered by saying that he still loved her. That hurt her more than anything. He stormed off at that point and disappeared for a week. Tifa felt sorry for making him remember but didn't want to give in to Cloud's stubbornness. 'She's dead… Why can't he deal with that? Why?' Days later, he showed up at her doorstop and apologized. He asked if he could use a room or two for his business, the Strife Delivery Services. Tifa was more than happy to lend the entire upper floor, secretly wishing that things got back to how they were. It hadn't. Well, at least he's near her… most of the time.

Cloud's work involved either moving goods around or hiring his services as a mercenary. Whenever a job presents itself, he would hop on his brand new motorcycle called the Fenrir and ride off. She knew why he liked his job. It gave him freedom and independence unlike hers, which required constant attention. Money wasn't a problem because the group still had loads of gil left over from their adventure two years ago. 'Maybe I should close the bar early…' She thought. 'I'll do that after I check on Cloud.' She threw the rag into the sink and went upstairs.

When Tifa walked into his office, she found Cloud sitting on his chair, his legs propped on top of his desk. Working to him is compromised of four things; 1) talking on the phone, 2) doing paperwork, 3) riding on his Fenrir, and 4) taking naps. Right now, he was doing the fourth.

'Looks like he doesn't need any help… But can't he take care of himself?' Tifa silently berated him as Cloud shivered in his sleep. She strode over and draped a spare blanket over his still form. His eyes were closed though his mouth whispered words that one could barely hear. Leaning close to him, she listened. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry… Please don't leave me…"

Tifa quickly withdrew and ran out, tears forming in her eyes. She just can't stand it. Seeing Cloud talking with Aeris in is his dreams was too much for her. She wished that he would get over her death, but what she witnessed proved her hopes futile. 'Maybe I should give up on him…' She thought miserably. Yet, no matter how hard she tried to suppress her feelings, they've always come back, even stronger than before. She knew from experience. Cloud was slowly killing her from the inside out.

But, when Tifa was out of the room, she didn't hear the rest of Cloud's words that followed. If she did, her thoughts would have been much different. She wouldn't have to worry about a single thing. "Please Tifa… Don't leave me…"

--- Midgar 2 ---

Elsewhere in the city, someone was having evil thoughts…

'Mwuh! Ha! Ha! The great ninja of Wutai will have her revenge!' Yuffie thought as she strung a tripwire at the door. 'This is for hanging up on me. That bastard… Vinnie will pay… … … Done!' She never did think twice about how the ex-Turk favors blunt and to-the-point conversations and not long random ones. Maybe that would be the reason why Vincent cut her off last night while she was trying to teach him something about materia. 'Hee… Materia… Shiny…' Her eyes sparkled with delight.

Her trap was done. It was simple yet effective and if everything goes to plan, he will be humiliated. She would knock on his door. Yuffie would be there and ask him to carry her some stuff to her chocobo waiting outside. Being the gentleman he is, Vincent would walk out the door, unsuspecting of the trap she laid. Then, he'll trip and fall flat on his face! Revenge complete! 'Most excellent' Yuffie thought as she grinned evilly. 'Time to set the plan to motion.' She knocked on the door, pounding on it many times and yelling "Vinnie!" as loud as possible. There was no response.

'Huh? This is weird. Maybe he's trying to ignore me…' The ninja repeated her attempt once again. The results were the same. 'Maybe he's in the shower or bathroom… Ewww… Let's not go there… Ok, no more bad thoughts… Think good thoughts… Like a nice hot shower… Hmmm… I wonder how Vinnie looks like when he gets out of the shower… Wait, why did I think that? That's definitely a bad thought! Stupid damn traitorous mind!'

Yuffie stood there in front of the door for a minute, unsure of what to do. 'Maybe he's inside… Wouldn't hurt to check…' She reached out for the doorknob tentatively. 'Ok, it's just a door. How hard can it be? Just twist and push… Probably gonna be locked anyway…'

The ninja found the door to be unlocked and nervously pushed it open. 'Hmmm… So dark… Guess he's not here…'

"What exactly do you think you're doing?" A threatening voice asked right behind her.

"Eeek!" Yuffie screamed before jumping forward, forgetting the trap that she had set. Instead of Vincent tripping over it, she did and soon fell on her face. "Owww… You know, you shouldn't do that Vinnie…" All thoughts of revenge disappeared now that he's standing right behind her.

"Agreed. Though I could say the same about your actions." He deadpanned.

"Gee thanks… Nice way of saying 'Goodbye!' or 'See you later!' or 'I'll miss you'… Thought you were a gentleman…" She shot back.

"I was until I watched you set up that wire." He returned, with a small grin on his face.

"What! You saw me set it up! That is so unfair! Why didn't you tell me?" Yuffie demanded while getting back up.

"…" Vincent thought before he answered. He knew how mad Yuffie can be and the sharp Conformer strapped to her back can pose a problem. "Wouldn't be as fun."

"Fun! I just fell on my face! That's not fun! Grrrr…" She growled. Her hands reached toward the weapon.

"Maybe not for you." He replied coolly and carefully watched her hands.

"MEANIE!" She accused with her finger and poked her tongue out at him.

"…" Vincent shrugged and walked into his home, making sure to step over the tripwire. "Whatever…"

"Hmph!" She stomped off toward her waiting bird. "Well, what are you looking at? Probably too stupid to understand…" The gold chocobo shook its head and warked sadly. "I'm sorry… It's just that… Nevermind, let's go…" She wanted to say home but now, Midgar was more of a home to her than Wutai ever was. Yes, believe or not, home is living next to Vincent Valentine in slummy Midgar. "To Wutai" She finally said and started on her journey.

Vincent watched Yuffie from the second story window as she went through the streets, perched proudly on her bird. He kept watch until she turned a corner. When she disappeared from view, he sighed. He hates to admit it but he'll miss her. The two of them had been neighbors for a long time and now that she's gone, he realized that he'll be alone once more. 'Like before Avalanche came into my life…'

He leaned back and sipped the steaming bowl of tea he just made. Yes, jasmine tea reminds him of her and his thoughts were soon replaced by the memories following that hectic night. After meeting Yuffie on the top of the pagoda, they moved back to Midgar into separate but adjacent houses. They stayed in touch with Cloud and Tifa, even helping out with the construction of Final Heaven. The four of them didn't live in the same sector but neighboring ones. Their feelings had not evolved into more than 'best friends'. Nothing romantic ever happened though Vincent had a sneaking suspicion that Yuffie wanted more. 'Teenage crush… Always expecting more…' They've spent a lot of time together though. Actually, it was more like Yuffie dragging Vincent out or her barging into his house unannounced. They've gone out to dinner once to a brand new restaurant but left after the main entree. The teenager went overboard on the chocolate appetizer and puked all over place. Needless to say, they weren't welcomed there anymore.

Now, Yuffie's gone and with her goes those joyful memories. It happened all of the sudden. She received a message yesterday from her father Godo begging her come back. Usually, she won't go but it involved his health and the welfare of her beloved city. He was very ill and the elders did not think of him fit for leadership. Unless she wished to see Wutai fall without a leader, Yuffie would have return and assume the mantle of responsibility temporarily if not permanently. The two of them had talked about it last night and decided that she should go as soon as possible. The message didn't have any specifics but if the illness was as severe as it sounded, Godo may not have much time to do the transfer ceremony. So today, she left to face her father and her city.

Vincent looked outside at the streets. A few people were out shopping. They kept their distance from one another though the couples stayed relatively close. He turned away and set his empty bowl down. He could sense pain in the air though it didn't come from any physical form. The Planet was suffering. 'Geostigma… Is this why Planet cries?' He asked the demons residing inside of him. They didn't answer and he didn't really expect them to do so. All four of them had been quiet for some time now. He felt more than a little uneasy about their silence. 'Something bad is happening…'

He had heard the planet crying for more than a year. Previously, he dismissed the wails as Planet's efforts to heal. After all, the combination of Mako reactors and Meteor had taken up a lot of energy and it'll take years to replenish it. But it has been going on for so long and had in fact gotten worse. Healing meant getting better, not the other way around. 'Maybe I should visit the City of the Ancients… I may find a clue there… Or at least some guidance…' Vincent pondered. 'Yes, I should go… There's nothing here for me to do…'

Vincent wrote a brief note for Yuffie in case she came back early and left it on the dining table. He went into his room and packed for the trip. He put his Death Penalty in one holster and the Outsider in the other. Then, the Sniper CR was strapped to his leg, an insurance policy if he ran out of bullets or needed a faster gun. The red-cloaked ex-Turk made sure that his PHS worked before walking out toward the Sleeping Forest, never once looking behind him.

---Unknown ---

"It is time…" The man in the wheelchair said, catching the attention of his 'sons'. "Gather your weapons…" The mysterious man pointed a long pale finger toward a table with three weapons. One of them was a sword called a double blade. It is truly a terrible weapon, one designed to cause pain and suffering. When it deals a blow, it causes two deep wounds. Stitching is not an option for the two cuts are far too close for the needlework. Thus, unless healing materia was used, the wound would continue to bleed, get infected, and even the smallest cuts could be fatal. "Kadaj!" The man whose name was called picked up the sword and swung it. He smirked, approving of it.

The next weapon was similarly shaped to a single-edged sword but its hilt is in the shape of a gun. It was a gunblade called the Velvet Nightmare. It functions as a blade in close range and a pistol in the distance. "Yazoo!" Another came forward and picked up his assigned weapon. Raising it quickly, he fired three quick shots at Kadaj who lazily deflected the bullets with his new modified katana.

"Loz!" The last of the three took the one remaining weapon on the table. It looked like a shield, claw, and gun all rolled into one. The circular portion that would cover his forearm looks quite strong and could block the strongest of blows. The claw part extends forward a little bit and hidden underneath is the gun. Loz strapped it on and punched the ground. Cracks formed, stretching outwards.

"It is time to find your lost brother… Go." The cloaked man said before wheeling away. The three silver-haired men looked at each other and then filed out. They will find Cloud… Mother will have what she wants…

* * *

**FreeCorpKnight**: Who here likes cheese? 

**Everyone: **(?)

**FreeCorpKnight**: Fine... Yes, I know I'm weird.

**Everyone**: (_nods_)

**FreeCorpKnight**: Alright, I'll leave… (_leaves the room_)

**Everyone**: (_follows_)

**FreeCorpKnight**: (_notices the crowd behind_) What!

**Everyone**: Happy Birthday!

**FreeCorpKnight**: Whatever… (_leaves… again_)

**Rude**: The author will turn eighteen very soon.

**Cid**: Damn straight! Now he can smoke legally in the US! (_takes a drag from his cigarette_)

**Elena**: Don't forget… He'll face stiffer penalties because he's legally an adult.

**Yuffie Kisagari**: Ah yes, the 'joys' of being a minor… All gone now…

**Barret Wallace**: Shut up you brat!

**Yuffie Kisagari**: What did you call me? 

**FreeCorpKnight**: (_comes back_) Can all of you please shut the hell up?

**Everyone**: Grrr… (_readies weapons_)

**FreeCorpKnight**: Yikes! (_runs away_)


	7. Nightmares

Even though it was my birthday and I wished that some of my presents would be the rights to Final Fantasy VII, I didn't get it. So, until I do, I admit that Square-Enix owns it and if you wish to sue someone about it, please don't take me to court. I'm going to be a poor college boy soon so there's no point if you are looking for financial compensation.

**FreeCorpKnight**: La la la… I'm eighteen now…

**Yuffie Kisagari**: So, what did you get?

**FreeCorpKnight**: Nothing really… Just money.

**Yuffie Kisagari**: Well, you could always ask your parents for some materia so you can give them to me…

**FreeCorpKnight**: No. How about a new chapter?

**Everyone**: That's fine.

**FreeCorpKnight**: … … … Hey! Aren't you people supposed to give me the presents and not the other way around?

**Everyone**: (_disappears_)

* * *

Cloud slept through the whole afternoon, tossing and turning regularly. Maybe it's because he's cold but with Tifa's blanket, warmth soon embraced him. His discomfort wasn't because of his awkward sleeping position either. His office was heaven compared to some of the terrain he had to camp in. Even if he slept on the softest bed with the fluffiest pillow in the most luxurious of rooms, he still would not find peace. More or less, the pain and suffering came from nightmares.

The blond-haired man first dreamt of Tifa and couldn't help but smile. He remembered how their childhood was like with her being one of his few friends. In fact, the only other friend he had was Zack and because of Professor Hojo, he's dead. Gone also were his parents, his mother killed when Sephiroth went mad. He will never forget the image of flames and the silver-haired general standing at the center of chaos. Everything was taken away from him at in a single moment, everything but the beautiful woman working below. Tifa was the only living connection to his past.

Tifa was a true friend. She stayed with him through thick and thin. In battles, she would be the first to cure him, even before Aeris. After witnessing the Cetra's death, she was the only one who tried to comfort and reason with him. When he was helpless and fell into the Lifestream, she was the one who dove after him, risking her life for his. Yes, she was there for him whenever he needed help.

Then, all those pleasant memories ceased and his nightmares began.

He was downstairs, watching Tifa clean up the bar. Cloud could feel his mouth move, trying to express his feelings for her. Upon hearing his words, she backed away, shocked and angry. "No," she refused. "You don't love me…" All faded to black before he found himself in another place, the Temple of the Ancients. Tifa was standing next to the lake where Aeris was laid to rest. From its depths, a pink form was rising. She pointed at the body and said, "There lies your true love! I don't care about you! All you do is push me away! I hate you! Hear that? I hate you!" The brunette ran away and disappeared into the nearby forest. As hard as he tried, Cloud could not chase after her, his legs not obeying his mind. He tried to yell, begging his friend to stop. All that came out was a small whisper that only he could hear. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry… Please don't leave me… Please Tifa… Don't leave me…" As expected, she did not return. He was all alone.

His mind drifted again and settled upon a past memory. He saw Aeris kneeling and praying for Holy to come aid their cause. Just like before, his body was immobile, his words of warning falling upon deaf ears. He watched helplessly as Sephiroth, in all his glory, leapt out of the shadows and plunge his sword through her body, impaling it. The sinister blade held onto its victim, keeping her standing. Her face showed no surprise, only of profound sadness. Tears came down her face and her green eyes showed defeat. Aeris knew that she would die. The former general then pulled his sword out with a spray of blood and left. The last of the Cetra fell onto the altar, never to rise again.

Cloud couldn't help her. He had failed and in the end, paid with her life. He wished that his nightmare would end now. But fate was not so kind.

Cloud saw himself at the lake with her body in his arms. The rest of the group were standing at the shore, watching him lay her to rest. He walked out until the water came to his waist. The leader of Avalanche looked at his friend one last time. She looked so peaceful and innocent. She was wearing the same pink dress she wore when he met her. It also happened to be the one she had when Sephiroth ended her life. Cloud could see the gaping hole where the Masamune ripped through her. He had failed her and this was the price.

The blond haired warrior released her go, watching her body sink into the depths of the lake. Aeris's eyes were closed, never to open and show their emerald color. Her brown hair fanned outwards. Her face had a small smile, one that can do wonders to the heart. Her delicate hands were raised and palms facing upwards. It appeared to be a sign of forgiveness. Cloud watched until he could see no more of her.

RING! RING! RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!

He woke up with a start, sweating in fear. His heart rate was extremely fast and it took a while for it to slow down into a semi-normal pace. Gasping for breath, he looked around and saw the blanket Tifa had covered him in. 'She cares for me… I should tell her how I really feel… But can I?'

RING! RING! RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!

The phone on his desk interrupted his thoughts. 'So that's what woke me up… Guess it's back to work…'

"Hello? Strife Delivery Service. Cloud speaking." He suppressed a yawn while answering the call.

"Good. Nice to hear ya buddy! Listen, I need to meet you in Kalm. Big important business. Got time?" A familiar voice asked.

"… Reno?" Cloud scratched his head, wondering why Reno would want to see him. 'Last time we talked was half a year ago…'

"Glad to know that you remembered! Anyways, are you gonna come or what? Can't take all day. I'm a busy man." Reno persisted.

"I'll be there tomorrow morning." Cloud answered, writing down a message in case he forgot.

"Great. The meeting spot is our apartment. By the way, how's Tifa…" Reno stopped his question when he heard a click on the other end. 'Jeez, that guy's still a prick…'

* * *

**FreeCorpKnight**: I'm sorry that this chapter is short.

**Reno**: So why didn't you put any more stuff up?

**FreeCorpKnight**: (_shrugs_) Can't think of anything to add...

**Reno**: How about adding me in and have all the girls like me?

**Females**: Ewww! No way!

**FreeCorpKnight**: (_looks nervously around_) I don't thinks so…

**Reno**: Fine… But, don't you think it's a good idea?

**FreeCorpKnight**: Uh… I'll think about it… Maybe in a later chapter… (_leaves in a hurry_)

**Reno**: All right! (_goes off and gets drunk_)


	8. A New Threat

This is my version of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. I don't own any of the characters or the plot since Square-Enix owns them all. The only thing I have here is my version of the movie and most of that is based on the trailers and what not (I've started writing this before the movie came out so if there's any discrepancies to what you'll be seeing on screen, don't flame me). Enjoy the chapter and please review if you haven't.

**FreeCorpKnight**: Guess what! I've spent FOUR hours watching the Advent Children trailers!

**Yuffie Kisagari**: C-R-A-Z-Y (_shakes head_)

**Everyone**: (_nods_)

**FreeCorpKnight**: (_goes off and cries in a corner_)

* * *

--- Midgar --- 

Flowers. That was the first thing he saw when he woke up. His blue eyes blinked at the sight of tulips blooming before him. 'So beautiful…' He thought as his mind took in the yellow and white colors. 'Hmmm… I wish you could see this place… Then again, I'm sure you're in the Promise Land looking over all of us…'

He yawned and stretched his limbs. It was time to get up but like every morning, he found himself transfixed by the peace surrounding him. Above, there was a rather big hole in the ceiling, one created two years ago when he fell from the Sector 5 reactor. The opening allowed a glimpse of the clear morning sky and for the sun to come in, bathing the plants below in golden light. Birds happily chirped outside, their songs marking a brand new day. Other than that, there was silence, a soothing sound to his troubled mind. This place was his sanctuary.

The mercenary shook his head, breaking free to the spell. 'I shouldn't be here like this… I need to get ready for the trip. I'm wasting time.' He reprimanded himself. Reno had called yesterday and wanted to meet him in Kalm. If the Turks wanted his service, it would be serious. The two of them didn't get along very well and for one to ask help from the other, it would be a big problem indeed.

After giving himself a few more minutes, the disheveled blond prepared himself. He picked out some clothes resembling his former SOLDIER uniform. The only difference was the color and an attached accessory. Instead of being purple, they were black, dark as the night. In addition, the silver wolf's ring adorned on his left shoulder symbolized his personality. He was the alpha male, the strong leader of Avalanche.

When he tried to put on his vest, Cloud winced. His left arm throbbed from pain and the numbing sensation would not go away. He gave up on his shirt, knowing that his bandage must be changed if he were to use his arm at all. Having the vest on would make the difficult task almost impossible. Ignoring the flaring pain, he slowly unwound the white linen, showing the irritated flesh once he was done. His entire forearm was dark red and his veins were painted black like some kind of twisted art. On his skin, blood and pus oozed out of the discolored flesh, staining the bandage gray. The gruesome appearance of his arm was not from any external injury but rather a side effect of an internal war. 'Well, best if I do this quick…' He thought as he held the old wrappings with his left hand and got the fresh ones with his right.

He has Geostigma and the disease was getting worse. This time, he could feel his whole arm weakening and secretly feared how he would be a year later. That is, if he was still alive. Nobody knew of his affliction save Vincent and even then, Cloud had been the one telling him. The ex-Turk's calm exterior cracked when his leader admitted it. It is hard to believe that one of the strongest men alive was doomed to die in such a painful way. Then again, fate had not been so kind to him before. He lost his hometown and his family due to Sephiroth's madness. He was partially responsible for the deaths in Midgar from the Sector 7 collapse and Meteor's close encounter. One of his closest friends, Aeris, had died while praying for Holy. Now, he's facing a disease with no cure. The future did not look bright for him.

"Ow!" The blond sharply gasped. He had accidentally touched his forearm while putting on the new bandage. His left hand convulsed briefly, letting go of the old wrappings. They fell onto his bed, forgotten. Cloud gritted his teeth and finished the job quickly.

After making sure that the extra long sleeve on his left would hide his whole arm, he grabbed two swords and his shades. He would be making a personal stop along the way and would leave one of them behind. Today was the day marking the second anniversary of Sephiroth's defeat and the end to Jenova. 'I'll leave my past behind and go with the future…' He promised. 'I've spent far too much time like this… It's time to move on…'

Leaving the church, Cloud walked over to his motorcycle, the Fenrir. Pressing a switch, it's sides extended. The protruding arms revealed an array of weapons, all of the swords he had collected during his time in Avalanche. Fitting the Ultima and Buster sword in their appropriate slots, he made one final check before getting on the bike. He would stop at Tifa's before going. He usually told her when he got a job so she wouldn't worry but he forgot yesterday. 'Oh well… Better late then never…' He thought before riding toward the Final Heaven.

Five minutes later, he arrived at the bar. It was closed but he knew the back door was unlocked. It was how he usually got in. He didn't want any undesired attention from the few customers she had. Publicity wasn't his thing and neither was dealing with overly thankful citizens.

When the blond entered, he found Tifa in the kitchen nursing a fresh cup of coffee. She just got up evidently, her hair in a tangled mess and face stretched in a yawn. When brunette heard the motorcycle coming down the street, she knew it was Cloud. Very few people could afford such things and even fewer would be crazy enough to drive them. Cloud stared at her for a little while before speaking.

"Tifa, I'm off to Kalm. New mission." Cloud finally spoke, breaking the silence.

"Ok…" The barmaid yawned again before asking, "Who hired you this time?"

"An aquaintance. Don't worry about it. We can trust him," he replied. 'I don't want to tell her that it was Reno… She'll probably want to come with me… I don't want to upset her…"

"If you're sure…" She didn't sound too convinced with his answer. "When do you think you're coming back?"

"I really don't know..." The blond admitted. 'I really hope that it's a small job… But if Reno was that desperate to get me, it'll be a big one…'

"Probably around noon… At the most." He knew that she was getting suspicious but he can't spare any details. 'Right now it's around seven… Five hours should be enough…'

"That's alright. Want to spend some time together when you come back? I got the afternoon off…" Tifa tried to sound casual with her question. 'It's been so long since we've done anything together…' She thought to herself.

"I guess…" He made himself a cup of coffee and sipped it. The caffeine and sugar soon made their way into his blood, dispelling the morning stiffness. The two of them drank in silence, each lost in their own thoughts but happy nonetheless. Finishing first, Cloud washed the cup and placed it on the counter. He was hesitant to leave, not wanting to part without saying how he had feelings for her. Yet, the nightmare he had in the afternoon resurfaced in his mind. 'What if my dream comes true? I'll never be able to rest again… No, I can't tell her now… Maybe later… Definitely later but not now… I have to go… But I don't want to… Not yet…'

As if sensing his discomfort, Tifa came up to him and gave him a quick hug. "You should go. Your client will get mad. Just be careful okay?"

"Thanks Tifa. I will." He promised before breaking away and exiting the same way he entered. "See you in the afternoon."

"See you," She called. Inside, she felt bubbly at the prospect of spending the whole afternoon with Cloud. 'I wonder what we should do… Maybe we should go shopping in that new store I heard about… No, he won't like that… A walk through the park and a quick snack in one of those diners… I heard there's a new one and it got pretty good reviews…'

"Auntie Tifa?" A small voice caught her attention. "I can't sleep."

Bringing herself back, she noticed a small boy standing in the doorway clutching a stuffed chocobo. Denzel was his name, one of the older orphans she's taking care of. 'I guess it's back to normal…' She thought walking the child back to bed. Even though she settled back into her normal schedule, Tifa worked enthusiastically, finally happy for a change.

--- On the road ---

Cloud sped out of the metropolis and picked up his speed. If he wanted to get to Kalm in time, he would have to hurry up especially when he planned to stop along the way. Leaning forward, he squinted ahead. 'There… That should be far enough…'

He slowed down and eventually parked the Fenrir on a cliff. From here, he could see Midgar in the distance and the desolate wasteland surrounding it. Even though all the Mako reactors had been shut down, the area around the city had yet to recover. It even seemed to get worse. 'No,' he thought as he focused his thoughts. 'I'm not here for that…'

He got out the Buster Sword he had packed earlier in the morning. It had originally been Zack's but when he died at the hands of Shinra, Cloud inherited it. He used it when he first joined Avalanche. Even when better blades were available, he didn't leave it behind or sell it. It was a part of his past but now that he regained his memory, there was no need to keep it.

Holding the sword in his hands, he decided to have one last swing before departing with it. The moment he raised it over his head, a memory buried deep in his mind surfaced and he was soon lost in the past.

--- Flashback ---

Cloud was riding at the back of a yellow truck. He felt ill and knew it was due to his motion sickness. The bumpy ride didn't help either. He didn't want to embarrass himself with a SOLDIER nearby. In fact, there were two of them on the truck. One was the great general Sephiroth, hero of the Shinra-Wutai war. He took liberty of the passenger's seat, leaving the other to sit in the back with him. That person was a familiar face and it didn't take too long to place him.

"Zack?" he asked.

"Yeah… Thought you didn't recognize me," the SOLDIER grinned.

Cloud was about to say something when the truck went through some especially rough terrain. He curled up into a ball, trying to suppress the bile coming up.

Zack noticed and gave him a tranquilizer. When he tried to thank him, the SOLDIER nodded first, understanding. Looking away, Zack looked at the pure blue sky. "You don't look that great. Try not to talk." Turning back to face Cloud, he said, "Besides, there's nothing to worry about. I'll look over you." After he said that, the memory faded away.

--- On the road ---

"No!" Cloud yelled in rage. He threw the sword toward the cliff's edge but it didn't go over. "No… No… Zack… Aeris…"

Taking a moment to collect himself, the blond walked over to the sword. When he picked it up, a breeze came by, stirring a few dead leaves around him. Cloud pointed the sword downwards and stuck it into the ground. Stepping away, he confided to Zack.

"I know I'm not fit to help anyone… No one…" The mercenary bowed his head when he said these words. As if Zack heard him, a whirlwind came and surrounded him with gusting winds. Cloud sighed and walked out, leaving the sword as a memorial. He wasn't fazed at all by the miniature cyclone, passing through it as though it was nothing. Stepping back onto the bike, he drove off, not looking back once. The past was behind him and the future lies ahead. Time to talk to Turks.

The Fenrir zoomed down the road alone. No other vehicle, person, or creature was in sight and for that, the rider was grateful. He didn't want any trouble along the way. Cloud didn't slow down when the earth became green and vegetated. Ignoring the sign that split the road, he turned right. He had journeyed to Kalm many times before for previous jobs so there was no point to stop and look for directions. Five minutes later, he arrived in Kalm.

--- Kalm ---

The Turks had a small apartment in the outskirts of town. It was sparsely decorated with a lamp, couch, and some chairs. Then again, the Turks were usually escorting Reeve so there was barely any time for them to go 'home'. Home was serving their boss and wherever he went, they went.

Cloud drove up to the house and parked his bike. He strapped the Ultima sword onto his back, not willing to take any chances. It wasn't because he didn't trust the Turks because it came from habit. Better safe than sorry.

Knocking on the door, he was answered by the sound of breaking glass and curses. 'Reno drinking again…' The blond knew the guy all too well.

The door opened and a man in fiery hair poked his head out. "Hi Cloud! About time you showed up. Been waiting for like half an hour before I gave up on ya. Started drinking a beer or two. Want one?" He gestured toward the back where the refrigerator was.

'A beer or two… Really…' Cloud thought when he caught the sight of a dozen empty bottles on the countertop. "No thanks… How's Elena?" He asked, wondering how the young Turk was doing.

Reno took on a serious tone when he answered. "None of your business. She's doing fine. She's fighting that damn Geostigma and no way is a Turk gonna give up because of some stupid disease." Then he grinned. "Oh, by the way, you never did tell how Tifa's doing. Still…"

Cloud growled menacingly. He didn't trust Reno around the female members of Avalanche for a reason.

Thankfully, Rude chose that moment to enter. "We're not here to talk about that." The bald man reminded, relieving the tense situation between the Turk and Avalanche member.

"Yeah yeah… Well, he's the one that started it!" Reno stuck his tongue out at Cloud. 'Oh yes… Very mature Reno… I wonder how you got to be leader of the Turks…'

"Whatever… Why did you two call me down here?" The mercenary got right down to the point.

"First off, there's three of us and even though Elena's puking her guts out, she's still one of us. Second, we're here just to give you a warning so don't be an ass about it." Reno said before continuing. "There's been a sighting of three men looking like Sephiroth…"

"No! Damn it Reno! Don't lie to me! Sephiroth is dead and we made sure every clone there was of that bastard was dead so don't give me that crap!" Cloud cut in, his anger taking over.

"Woah! Woah! This was just one sighting you know so it might not be true." The flame-haired Turk raised both hands defensively. "But explain these…" Reno motioned to Rude who then brought forth four photographs. There were grainy black and white pictures and they captured three individuals. One wasn't familiar at all. He had short hair and seemed very muscular. The other two had eerie similarities to a former general, the same face and hair.

"No… No…" Cloud stepped back. 'Sephiroth can't come back… After all we've been through…'

"I know what you're thinking but these pictures are real. Heck, these are the originals." Reno said. "Doesn't matter… Anyways, I tried all my contacts and couldn't find too much about them… One guy said that they wanted to know where Mother was and babbled a bit about something called Reunion. I have no clue what those guys want… Mommy got sliced up by you guys so unless there's a bit of Jenova floating out there…"

'Jenova… Damn! Just when I thought it's all over… My luck really sucks…' Cloud thought, not paying attention to what the Turk was saying. "Thanks Reno, Rude… I have to go back. I have to tell the rest of Avalanche."

"Wait," Rude said, blocking the door. "There's more."

"Yeah, that's not all of it. We found… an old friend. He knows a bit about this Sephiroth stuff and wants a chat with you. Think you got time tomorrow? Our office in Midgar at thirteen hundred?" The leader of the Turks asked, stating the time and place to meet.

"Whatever…" The mercenary said before walking toward the exit. Rude didn't block him this time.

"Sure sure… I'll take that as a yes… No problem…" Reno waved the blond off and returned to his drink. "Oh, by the way, if you need us, call…"

"If I need to…" Cloud said absentmindedly as he disappeared out the door. When he rode out of Kalm, his mind raced as he tried to take in the new threat. This time there were three Sephiroth look-alikes. Facing one clone was bad enough but three…

'Planet help us…'

* * *

**FreeCorpKnight**: Yay! Done with another chapter! 

**Cloud Strife**: …

**FreeCorpKnight**: At least it's longer than before…

**Vincent Valentine**: …

**FreeCorpKnight: **The Turks are in it!

**Rude**: ...

**FreeCorpKnight**: You people are so supportive… (_leaves_)


	9. First Taste of Battle

This is my version of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. Square-Enix owns everything but the story itself here. Even so, most of that is based on the trailers and what not (I've started writing this before the movie came out so if there's any discrepancies to what you'll be seeing on screen, don't flame me about it). Enjoy the chapter and please review if you haven't.

Ok, I admit it. I don't know Japanese and because of that, this story will be really screwed up in comparison to the real movie. I'm really sorry. Yes, despite the fact that I graduated at the top of my class, attended college before high school, and was valedictorian, I was dumb enough to forget the many important Japanese words and trailer screenshots. I am dumb and stupid. Now that I got a nifty trustworthy synopsis with translations, I realize how different this story is. For example, did you realize that Loz has not one but TWO weapons? He owns the Dual-Hound claw-thingy (no better description) AND a gunblade that looks identical to Yazoo's. Another thing, I HAVE NO FREAKING CLUE WHO THE WHEELCHAIR PERSON IS! Ok, enough with my self-confidence bashing rant. I'll try to make the story go along and stick with the plot from now on. I feel bad enough to edit the whole damn story… Grrr… More work… But, ever the lazy one, I'll make another story (Yes, more icky work for me…) that will as best as possible mirror how the movie actually goes. I WILL CONTINUE WITH THIS STORY (if my reviewers kindly request)! I'll just have another one that may be a bit more on-track with Advent Children. This sucks… Twice the work…

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--- On the road ---

Cloud could see the Midgar in the distance but paid no attention to it. Though the green landscape changed into barren wasteland, his attention lied elsewhere. 'Sephiroth… Is he back? Are those three trying to bring him back? If so, how and why? Too many questions…'

His thoughts returned to the pictures that Reno and Rude had shown him. He wondered how these three were able to survive so long. It was almost impossible for someone not to spot their unique appearances and uncanny resemblances to the crazed ex-general. He knew that if Avalanche had ever heard of them, the whole group would pursue and most likely, eliminate them. There must be some unknown party that have helped them and kept the world from knowing about their existence. 'Who would help them? How were they hidden from us for the past two years? What could the benefits be from using them?' More questions were raised by his pondering mind.

"Damn!" He cursed as he zoomed past the sign before him. Instead of making the left turn to Midgar, he went straight ahead toward the Healing Sanatorium where Geostigma patients get diagnosed. Cloud slowed the Fenrir down and eventually stopped to clear his mind. 'Damn it! I can't drive like this. I'll crash before I get back… I have to stop… Only for a little while… Maybe I should call Tifa and let her know about his… No… Not yet… I'll call her and let her know where I am… I'll tell her the rest later… Maybe tomorrow…'

When Cloud was calm enough, he extracted a sleek black cell phone from his pockets and dialed the number for Final Heaven.

--- Midgar ---

Tifa looked at her empty bar. It's so sad to see all the people outside and none of them coming in. She longed for company and felt so lonely right now. Then again, she didn't want too many people to poison themselves, cutting their lives short due to her service. Bittersweet the moment was.

She rearranged some of the glasses lining her countertop. Doing chores had become her new hobby. Nowadays, she would clean every inch of the house at least once. If she didn't have to watch the orphans, she'll probably clean it three times a day!

'Hmmm…' She wondered as she wiped the tabletop again… and again. 'Cloud's coming back soon… We're gonna be back together… Just a few more minutes…'

Ring! Ring!

Her dreamy thoughts were interrupted by the sound of her phone. 'Maybe it's no one… Wrong call… Almost nobody would call for me or Cloud.

Ring! Ring!

She sighed. 'Okay… This may be important…' She put a wineglass down and made her way to the phone.

"Hello? Strife Delivery Service." She answered the call.

"It's me…"

--- On the road ---

"I'm at the four way between Midgar and Kalm." Cloud continued, looking at the metal sign. 'I should have been paying more attention to the road…'

"Ok… Ummm… Why did you call?" Tifa asked, sounding a bit hopeful.

'She still likes me… That dream… It's not true…' Cloud breathed a sigh of relief before answering. "Well, I just wanted to clear my mind…"

"So you decided to call me? Awww… That's nice…" She teased.

"…Whatever." He didn't want her to know about his feelings yet…

"Ok… So you are coming back right?" She stressed on the last word. 'She really is looking forward to this afternoon…'

"Don't worry about it… I'll be there." Cloud replied with confidence. "Ummm… I have to go…"

"I understand…" She said.

"Yeah… Unless you want to keep talking to me and I'll stay here?" Cloud asked.

"No no… Just go!" She yelled in mock anger.

"Fine. Fine. I'll see you later. Bye."

"Bye."

Cloud revved up the motorcycle and backtracked, making the right turn into Midgar.

--- Outside Midgar ---

The three lined a small ridge outside of Midgar, all perched on top of their motorcycles looking like sentinels. A small breeze blew their silver hair gently, causing two of them to reach up and brush it away from their faces. The third carried a worried look on his face as he watched a black shape come toward them.

"Remember. We're here to learn about Mother. He alone knows where her body is. Do not kill him but... You two should have some fun." The one in the middle smirked maliciously. He glanced at his companions to make sure his words settled in. One of them nodded almost imperceptivity. The other merely grunted and looked away, feigning ignorance.

"Yazoo! Do you understand? These are orders from Mother herself!" Their leader continued, glaring at his companion. The accused was not fazed a bit and in fact, looked even more bored.

"Sure…" Yazoo replied. "Whatever you say Kadaj…"

"Loz, look after your brother and make sure he doesn't do more than what he's supposed to." Kadaj spoke to the larger man beside him before giving the final command to the two. "Now, go!"

Yazoo and Loz sped off, unsheathing their gunblades while they went down the slope.

Kadaj sat still for a few more moments. 'Hmmm… They may need some help…' He thought before turning toward the city. 'Yes, the specimens will be freed… And I'll be waiting Cloud… I hope you're ready…'

--- On the road ---

Cloud saw two figures rapidly approaching him. At first, he ignored them for they could be anyone, normal travelers possibly. However, when he saw who were riding the motorcycles, he gasped. They were them. Well, at least two of the three. 'What do they want?'

BANG! BANG!

Two bullets whizzed by his head, one of them clipping yellow hair off. 'Damn… Trouble...' Cloud pressed the switch on his Fenrir and picked a random sword. He lined the wide blade in front of him so that the bullets would ricochet off the sword. Surprisingly, no shots were fired when the weapon-improvised shield was up. 'Are they reloading or waiting?'

The two silver haired men zoomed past and quickly turned around. They were catching up and flanking him, one on each side. "Where is Mother?" The one with a claw asked when his bike zoomed to his left.

Holding the weapon with one hand and the other steering the Fenrir, he swung it as hard as possible against the one who just spoke. He intended to deal a fatal blow by delivering an overhead chop, the intention to cleave his opponent in half. In a blur of sky blue, the wide blade descended upon the silver-haired man. Equally fast if not faster, the claw came up and met the blade, holding it at bay. In fact, it was pushing it away. 'How?' The mercenary thought before a glint of silver behind him, reminding him of his other enemy.

Breaking away with a screech of metal, Cloud pushed Loz away for a few seconds and reversed his sword.

BANG! BANG!

Just in time to catch two bullets. The projectiles were deflected away. 'Too close' Cloud thought.

Cloud continued to thrust his blade at him but the gunblade easily caught it. This opponent wasn't nearly as strong as the other he noted as his sword slowly pushed the Velvet Nightmare back.

"You're hiding Mother aren't you!" Yazoo accused, trying to push the sword away.

"What are you talking about? Who is Mother?" Cloud yelled, confused about the situation.

"Brother! Where is she? Tell us!" Yazoo demanded once again.

Cloud shook his head, indicating that he didn't know. The two looked confused for a moment before one of them narrowed his reptilian eyes. "You don't know do you?" It came out more like a statement than a question.

Cloud, glad for the reprieve caught his breath and looked ahead for a second. 'Almost there… Just five more minutes…'

"Answer me!" Yazoo yelled.

"No! I don't know who Mother is or where she is! If you're talking about Jenova, she's dead!" Cloud shouted back and leaned forward. 'Sanctuary… So close…'

"Yazoo. We must go… We're done here…" Loz said. His companion looked at him distastefully, communicating silently between them. 'Why is he still needed if he doesn't know about Mother?'

"Kadaj." Loz said, reminding Yazoo of his warning.

With a grumble, the two slowed down and let Cloud go unhindered into Midgar, letting the fleeting shapes behind them to catch up.

Rawr!

Cloud's blood froze. That did not sound natural… He turned around and saw a dozen shadowy shapes pursuing him. They appeared to be giant cats but their form is smoky, almost as if they didn't have a solid form. He noted their sharp claws and teeth, reminding himself to avoid them.

The creatures sped up. One of them leapt from his left in an attempt to knock the rider off. Cloud brought his sword up and when the beast met edge, it disintegrated into black dust. 'What the…'

He couldn't think as the others tried to attack as well. Cloud fought them the best he could and slew four more. Yet, in the process, he earned himself several scratches and one deep wound on his leg. All of the sudden, the beasts stopped. 'Someone is controlling them… Have to warn the others…' Cloud thought before entering the city.

The first thing on his mind was to tell Tifa but with the dizzy feeling in his head, he got lost along the way. Eventually, he made his way to the bar. By now, he was delirious from the blood loss. 'Almost… There…'

He limped off his bike, not securing it at all and slumped against the door to Final Heaven. Cloud tried to shout for help but all that came out was a croak. The door finally opened and Tifa's face came into view. Her beautiful face filled with shock and worry was the last thing he saw before darkness consumed him. 'Tifa…'

Ok, I admit it. Action scenes are cool and all but to write them down is hard as hell. So many ideas and details but I can't fit it all down on paper… Grrr…

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**Everyone**: You SUCK!

**FreeCorpKnight**: Gee… Thanks… (_walks away_)

To DemonSurfer:  
I totally agree about the confusion part... The trailers are giving me headaches over who and what happens. I'm starting to hate Square-Enix for hiding the Wheelchair person's identity. It makes it so hard for aspiring fan writers like me. Anyways, I'm getting a lot of my information on the site. They have some good theories and stuff. Thanks for reviewing by the way!


	10. A Long Awaited Moment

This is my version of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. Square-Enix owns everything but MY story. Most of this is based on the trailers and what not (I've started writing this before the movie came out so if there's any discrepancies to what you'll be seeing on screen, don't flame me about it). Enjoy the chapter and please review if you haven't done so before.

A Pledge to FreeCorpKnight 

I will read this chapter all the way through.  
I will post a review if I have the time and if you are reading this, you most certainly have time.  
I will give constructive criticism when necessary and avoid flaming the author for no reason.  
I will not pester the author through junk email or nudges on messenger if he is busy.  
I will not sue the author for using anything affiliated with Final Fantasy VII.  
I will not sue the author for making a Cloud/Tifa pairing.  
I will not sue the author for making Vincent Valentine cooler than Reno of the Turks.  
I will not sue the author because I'm jealous of him and his awesome writing skills.  
I will not sue the author for fun.  
I will not sue the author.

If I violate any of the rules above, I will buy the author a year's supply of candy, his choice.

ONE MORE THING! If you have any clue about how to put asterisks and other symbol stuff up, PLEASE TELL ME! Every time I upload the document, they disappear... Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! Oh, and if you have any complaints about the layout or format of the chapters, do tell. That's all.

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--- Midgar: Final Heaven ---

THUMP!

Tifa paused for a moment, looking at the door. Something had hit it. 'Probably some passerby bumping into it accidentally…' She thought before opening the fridge and getting out the ingredients for dinner. Yet, that sound was nagging her mind, warning her of something. Something bad… She shook her head, dispelling such worrisome thoughts.

Thump…

A second and less forceful sound followed. This time, it seemed to be lower, as if something was landed near the foot of her door. 'What could it be? A package for Cloud?' Tifa wondered as she approached the front of the bar.

She opened the wooden door slowly, expecting a box for her friend to deliver. Instead, she found someone covered in blood, a victim of some sort of attack. Blue eyes met her gaze, showing relief before closing shut. He fell unconscious. Tifa immediately grabbed his arm and tried to lift the stranger onto his feet. Despite his small frame, his body seemed heavy and proved difficult to move for the slim barmaid. Eventually, she managed to drag the person to a nearby table. Grunting, she threw the body onto it none too gently. 'There may be some advantages in treating unconscious patients,' She thought. 'They'll never know how bad you treat them…'

Tifa glanced at him, accessing the wounds and guessing of their cause. 'Was this man attacked by a gang? Some bandits? No… They're claw marks so he must be attacked by a beast, but in Midgar? There're no monsters here. We made sure of that…'

Wrenching her eyes away, she sprinted into the kitchen to find her medical supplies. Tifa kept them downstairs just in case patrons got sick or if a child got injured. In addition to the first aid kit, she got a bowl of warm water and a towel. Once she returned to his side, she began to wipe the blood away. Most of the wounds were located at the arms and legs so she didn't have to touch his body. Because of that, she was relieved. 'Who would want to undress a stranger?'

Tifa soon discovered that most of his wounds had stopped bleeding, surely a good sign. The blood caking his limbs disguised his true state, making him look far more ragged and abused. In fact, the only serious wound she found was the large gash on his leg. 'That may take a while to heal…' She said, judging by the size and deepness of it.

Just when she reached over his body, a dull glint caught her eye. It came from the man's shoulder. Quickly wiping the blood away, she gasped. It was a wolf earring and there was only one person she knew who wore it. She looked at her patients face. 'Blond hair? Blue eyes? Why didn't I think of this before? This… This is Cloud!' Just when she identified him, a small group came into the bar. This was the first time in days that Final Heaven received customers. Usually, Tifa would be ecstatic but the situation had changed. She didn't care about them. All they would do is take her attention away from Cloud and she did not like that. Not one bit.

"GET OUT!" Tifa screamed at them and immediately pushed them out the door.

"Hey! What's the big deal here babe? We just want some drinks…" One of them complained, trying to get back in. Her eyes twitched at the crude comment.

"I said… GET OUT!" She punched the one who spoke and slammed the door, locking it shut behind her.

Ignoring their curses, Tifa ran back to her friend. "Oh Cloud… What happened to you?" She cried. "What won't you tell me?"

By the end of the hour, she managed to clean all the wounds and staunch the bleeding from the leg. Bandages covered the red openings but not all of them. She had quickly found out that she didn't have enough so she applied them to only the serious ones. She put the cloth into the bowl and sighed. The water in the bowl was bright red, dyed with the color of his blood. "Cloud…" She cried, collapsing onto the seat next to him. "Cloud…"

Her thoughts were focused on the person lying next to her. She ran her hand in a sea of gold, stroking his soft hair. 'Cloud… Please wake up… Please…' Tifa looked at his face, hoping that her thoughts would bring him back to her. 'Please… I haven't told you yet… Please… Wake up…' Eventually, her thoughts faded as the recent events caught up with her. She felt tired and her eyelids slowly but surely closed. Her last thought before she fell asleep was of Cloud. 'I love you…'

--- Hours later ---

Hours later, Cloud woke up. He found himself aching all over, his body weak as though he had a scuffle with a WEAPON. When he tried to get up, an unfamiliar weight on his chest kept him held him back. 'What the…?'

He stared at the mass of dark chocolate hair in front of him. It gave a moan, protesting the movement. Slowly, he remembered what had happened and the last thing he recalled was Tifa looking down at him in shock. Cloud smiled and caressed her face, slowing waking her up.

"Mmph…" A groan came from the mass of beautiful hair. Chuckling softly, he continued to trace her face, following the curves of her cheek. "Mhmmm… What do you want?"

Suddenly, her body stiffened. Tifa slowly looked up at Cloud and snapped her eyes open. "You're… You're awake?" She blinked, doubting her sight.

"Yup, I'm…" Cloud started say before she jumped onto him, hugging him fiercely. "Tifa… Please… Let… Go… Can't… Breathe…" She let go right afterwards, backing away with a sheepish look on her face. "Sorry…" She said, looking at him cough and wheeze in an attempt to get his breath back.

"Sorry," Tifa apologized again, looking down. Her long hair cascaded down her face, hiding the redness creeping upon it.

"That's alright… You did save me…" Cloud said, worried that his actions had alienated her. "I should be the one apologizing…"

"You're right," She bluntly said.

"And you did… What!" He looked at her, confused by her change in attitude.

"Do you know how I felt when I found you? You were bleeding all over the door!" She shouted at him.

"But…" He tried to explain himself but she kept going.

"I spent the whole afternoon looking after you!" She added.

'This wasn't the way I was planning to spend it…' Cloud thought, not even trying to speak. If he tried, Tifa may use her fists and they hurt. A lot.

"I kicked out a group of customers! The first ones in weeks! All for you! This is all because you wouldn't tell me what's going on!" She finished, crossing her arms.

"You're right Teef… I'm sorry… I… I should leave then…" He tried to get up but was gently pushed back down.

"No… Please don't go… Tell me what's going on. I could help." Her eyes pleaded.

"Teef… It's dangerous…" He answered.

"I don't care if it's dangerous! You're injured right now so I know it's dangerous! If you knew that, then you need help! Look at you right now!" She countered.

"Ok… Fine…" Cloud said, reaching his hand out to cup her face. "I'll tell you…"

"You will?" Tifa asked. Then, her face turned beet red when she noticed his hand holding her face up.

"Yes… But you know what, I think you're blushing." Cloud pointed out the color of her face.

"What!" She immediately clapped both hands over her face, hiding the redness from view.

"Do you want to tell me what's making you do that?" Cloud teased, knowing that this would get her sidetracked. Tifa shook her head.

"Is it because you like me?" He asked the question a bit to bluntly he thought. 'Why did I do that? Damn… That's real smooth. I've put her in a tight spot. Now, she's gonna hate me. I hate me.'

Tifa froze. This was one question that she feared. If she said no, that would mean their friendship was no longer. If she said yes, then she might get carried away by her emotions. Not to mention that he might know about her feelings and she definitely did not want that to happen. Not yet at least. Silence lingered as she contemplated her answer. Cloud fidgeted nervously, wringing his hands constantly.

Yes she finally nodded, thinking that this answer was the better. It was also the truth; she did like him and unless she wanted their friendship to end, this was the way to go. Cloud's heart leapt with joy. "You know… I like you too. Actually, I think it's more than that… Maybe… Ummm… L… Love?"

Tifa dropped her hands and gaped at Cloud. 'Ok… This is weird… First, asking how I feel about him… Now this? Him? Admitting his feelings? For me? Is this because he's injured? If it is, he should get hurt more often!'

'Uh oh… This isn't good," He looked at her face and saw shock, maybe horror? Immediately, he wished that he could take back the statement. However, when Tifa pounced on him, he changed his mind.

"Oh Cloud, you have no idea how much that means to me…" She said, kissing him on the cheek many times.

'Oh… Damn… Is this really happening?' Cloud thought. 'Am I dreaming?'

"Do you know how long I've been waiting for you to say that?" She asked, finally pulling back.

"No… But do you know how long I wanted to tell you that?" He answered, pulling her back to him. They gazed into each other's eyes, Tifa's fiery red mixed with Cloud's icy blue.

The distance between them slowly disappeared. They looked at each other for a moment, silently asking the other if he/she would allow this. All they saw was love, the answer they were looking for. Then, no longer were Cloud and Tifa separated. Their lips brushed and then locked, feeding off of each other's passion. All they could think about was their feelings and how long they've waited for this moment. Nothing else mattered. It was minutes before either of them broke contact. Their eyes were squeezed shut, the two savoring the kiss.

'Oh… My… Damn… That was good. No… Great! Fantastic! Wonderful! Perfect!' That was all Tifa could think before stealing another kiss. This time, it was much shorter though it held the same emotions. When they separated, they just looked at each other, relishing the time they're spending together.

"Ummm… Cloud, are you feeling better?" Tifa asked, breaking the silence.

Cloud stared at her with a confused look. 'Is that a rhetorical question? What is she thinking about?' Then he answered, "Yes?"

"Good! You can walk yourself upstairs to one of those beds!" She exclaimed, clapping her hands. Cloud looked the other way, obviously not expect the sudden change of topic.

"And you still owe me an explanation…" She added, receiving a groan from her friend.

"And one afternoon… No, two… You owe me one for today and I'm charging for my services. So there! I hope you don't have any plans for the weekend." She finished with a smile. This time, Cloud rolled off the table, falling unceremoniously onto the floor.

"Cloud? Cloud? Are you ok?" Tifa asked, worried that one of his wounds had opened during his crash. He just groaned, more so in irritation than pain. Smiling, she gave him a hand and helped him get upstairs. When they got into one of the empty rooms, they both collapsed on top of it. Tifa was about to get up when he grabbed her hand. "Please… Please stay with me for a bit…" He begged.

'How could she resist him?' She thought before answering. "Ok…" She leaned back, lying next to him. They spent the time looking at each other, each lost in his/her own thoughts. Eventually, their eyes closed and sleep claimed both of them.

As it turned out, it was the most peaceful rest the two of them ever had. Tifa snuggled into his chest and Cloud had his arms wrapped around her slender waist. They were, at last, in peace.

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**FreeCorpKnight**: Woot! Finished with this chapter!

**Yuffie Kisagari**: You know… If you stop playing GunzOnline, you could churn out more chapters… Maybe two a week!

**Reno**: Yeah! (_tries to get his arm around Yuffie_) Get your lazy ass writing!

(_Minor fight ensues…_)

**Reno**: (_bruised and battered, stares at barrel of a rifle_) Ummm… (_gulps_) Sorry?

**Vincent Valentine**: (_looks at Yuffie_)

**Yuffie Kisagari**: (_smirks_) Apology accepted!

**Vincent Valentine**: (_removes gun from Reno's face_) If I catch you doing that ever again… (_death glares Reno_)

**Reno**: (_prepares to run_) Jeez Vince…

**Vincent Valentine**: (_eyes twitch_)

**Reno**: I didn't know that you liked her that much! Are you two getting married or something? If you are, I'll be the best man! (_runs away_)

**Vincent Valentine**: Grrr… (_transforms into Chaos and pursues_) Rawr!

**Yuffie Kisagari**: (_pops up with Reno's nightstick in hand_) I thought I heard someone talking about me…

(_Distant roars of rage and pain in the distance…_)

**Yuffie Kisagari**: Must be unimportant if I can't figure it out (_shrugs_)… Hmmm… I wonder how much this is worth (_looks at recently acquired weapon_)? Guess there's only one way to find out… (_skips down the street looking for a pawn shop_)

**FreeCorpKnight**: (_frowns_) How come I lose all the attention?


	11. The Future of Wutai

Typical disclaimer stuff. Only the words below this are owned by me. THEY'RE ALL MINES! … Everything else is owned by Square-Enix (i.e. basic storyline, characters, locations, etc). I'm eagerly waiting for the DVD to come out next month so if you people didn't realize by now, this does not go word-for-word with the movie. Yes, I'm talking to you people of the future… Scary isn't it?

Hmmm… Did anyone notice Kadaj holding a weird box in the trailers? I was watching the official trailer (for like the fiftieth time…) and suddenly, something came to my attention. In the scene when Kadaj talks about being a puppet (before getting interrupted by the Sierra), he was holding the dual-blade all funny. I looked carefully and saw him holding a little black and silver box in his right arm. Hmmm… I wonder what's in it… Maybe Jenova or a piece of it. Then again, it could be a box of chocolate for Cloud if he beats him… LOL

**Author's Note**: This is a Yuffie/Vincent chapter! Language may be an issue here so if you have virgin ears (or should it be eyes... You people are reading this instead of listening to it...), turn away from the statements in CAPS. That's all.

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--- Wutai --- 

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING!"

A loud shriek of protest destroyed the afternoon calm, startling every citizen in the city. Faces turned toward the Pagoda Temple to where the disturbance came from. A few shook their heads in mirth for they knew who made the noise. Yuffie Kisagari, their dear princess, had returned.

"I HATE YOU!"

Lord Godo, the current ruler of Wutai, had been very worried about who would succeed him. He's getting old and even though he had a daughter, tradition favored a male leader. Even if Yuffie was allowed to rule, she does not possess the many necessary qualities of leadership. For example, holding tactful negotiations were not her forte.

"YOU'RE A FUCKING BASTARD!"

Another deafening yell echoed throughout the city. Mothers stopped what they were doing and quickly covered their children's ears, sheltering them from such crude language. All prayed to their god Leviathan for this human crisis to end. Unfortunately, this was merely the beginning.

"I'M ONLY EIGHTEEN!"

Even though Godo didn't want his daughter to be the lead in the future, the Kisagari dynasty must go on. He won't allow another family to reign if there is a way to prevent that. Call it a matter of pride.

"DAMN YOU!"

Back to the problem, there was only one other way for the Kisagari line to continue. It would allow a more reasonable person take charge but someone close would have to suffer. That method was…

"HELL NO! I AM NOT GETTING MARRIED THIS FUCKING YOUNG!"

Marriage.

"YOU'RE THE WORST FATHER A DAUGHTER COULD EVER HAVE!"

Yuffie was seething in rage, her hands clenching into fists and eyes promising torture to the elder before her. 'How dare he come up with such a suggestion! I'm only eighteen and there's still plenty to do before being chained down by a snobbish uptight aristocrat. In fact, there's no way in hell that I'm gonna marry one of those pampered crybabies! I rather face Sephiroth again than do that!'

"YOU CAN SHOVE THAT IDEA BACK UP YOUR ASS TO WHERE IT CAME FROM!"

Godo shook his head in frustration. He had expected this and knew that she would not agree with his proposal. However, from his point of view, her freedom was a necessary sacrifice. "Yuffie, listen to me…"

"NO! YOU LISTEN TO ME! I WILL NOT MARRY ANY STUPID GUY THAT WANTS TO TAKE OVER WUTAI!"

"But this is for the good of Wutai. Don't you see?" He tried to reason with her but knew that it would fail. They argued many times before and he knew right away that the two of them had different ideas about what's good for the city.

"FOR THE GOOD OF WUTAI! DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR WUTAI? YOU THINK TURNING THIS PLACE INTO A DAMN TOURIST ATTRACTION IS 'FOR THE GOOD OF WUTAI'! FUCK THIS!"

Her father cringed every time she brought that topic up. Sure, in the past, he willingly converted their once-proud city into a gaudy resort. But it wasn't as if he had a choice. Right after their defeat in the Shinra-Wutai war, the greedy conglomerate gave an offer. The city could be restored in exchange for their full cooperation or it can be wiped off the planet and razed to the ground. Lord Godo accepted the first choice of course. It is better for the city to stand than to be wiped from memory. Yet, Yuffie didn't see it as a reasonable exchange. In her opinion, Wutai should have fought until the end.

"I UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON HERE! YOU WANT ONE OF YOUR STUPID FRIENDS TO RULE INSTEAD OF YOUR OWN DAUGHTER! WHAT KIND OF PERSON ARE YOU!"

Just a year ago, Godo had been so proud of her, believing his daughter fully matured and fit to rule. In the first and only mission he sent her off to, she gathered enough materia to fill the city coffers. Every gil earned through the thefts went directly to Wutai. A short while later, she joined an elite group of warriors named Avalanche. With their help, she mastered the skills of the ninja and helped them survive many battles. In the end, Yuffie avenged Wutai by aiding in the team's effort to end Sephiroth's madness. At the same time, she managed to save Planet and vanquish an omnipotent alien. Yet, this was not the most meaningful accomplishment of all. In his eyes, he believed her triumph through the Pagoda Temple challenge to be the most important.

"YOU SUCK!"

Yuffie defeated all Five Mighty Gods (Gorki, Shake, Chekhov, Staniv, and himself). By doing so, she proved herself worthy of learning the most powerful of ninja moves, All Creation. In addition, she earned her the right to summon their god whenever the need arose. Even today, she kept the Leviathan materia close to her, an endearing reminder of Wutai and its ancient ways.

"NEVER!"

After Avalanche defeated the Shinra ex-general and Jenova, he had expected her to come back and take the mantle of responsibility. To his surprise, she did not return. He did not know that Yuffie stayed with the group to help with the Midgar reconstruction efforts until some passing travelers told him. Initially, when he heard of her decision, Godo was pleased, assuming that she's being a caring person and helping others in need. But soon, a year had passed and he became impatient with his daughter. He sent out several messengers asking for her return. When the one sent to Midgar came back with a broken nose, the lord was furious when he learned that Yuffie did not have any intention of going back.

"I WON'T DO IT!"

So, with the future of Wutai at stake, he schemed of ways to bring her back. Eventually, one of his advisors, Staniv, proposed writing a letter. Inside, it would speak of an illness and how she needs to return to take over her father's position. By the time the message got to her, several suitors would be selected. Godo spent an entire week thinking whether or not to go with the plan. In the end, he agreed and the whole city became involved. Residents were ordered to dress in morose clothes, symbolizing death and mourning. When Yuffie arrived, everything in the letter would appear true and by the time the truth dawns on her, it will be too late to escape. Now that she fell into his trap, all that remains is the selection of a future husband. Godo cleared his throat and began saying, "Yuffie… I've picked out ten men that I think…"

"NO! I DON'T WANT ANY ONE OF THOSE SNOTHEADS IN MY LIFE!"

"Yuffie! I will NOT tolerate this! You will marry one of them willingly or not! You have one week to choose your husband!" His patience was finally exhausted. She had forced him and now, Yuffie will be kept under house arrest until she is wed. There was no other way. With a wave of his hand, a dozen men entered the room and two of them grabbed her arms. The rest held various weapons pointed at her, ensuring her cooperation.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

The ninja wailed but it was no use. Her captors had a fierce grip on her arms and despite all the thrashing, her legs could not kick free. Before she left the room, she glared at her father with as much malevolence as possible. Her eyes spoke of anger and betrayal. Even he had to look away, ashamed of what he done to her. 'I wish it hadn't come to this…' Godo thought as he left the room. 'What have I done?'

--- Somewhere in the Sleeping Forest ---

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The sound of metal being shaped echoed throughout the forest. If one had very sharp ears, a few words can be heard.

"This is for my past filled with sins…"

CLANG!

"This is for the present and the many choices we must make…"

CLANG!

"This is for the uncertain future before us…"

CLANG!

"This is for redemption and the justice in which this shall deliver…"

CLANG!

A golden claw came into view, its sharp fingers glinting in the moonlight. The owner of the metal appendage held out his other arm, this one made of flesh and bones. With a quick jab, a small wound appeared on his forearm. Blood oozed out of the self-inflicted cut and three drops fell upon the hot metal before him. HISS! 'For my past…' HISS! 'For the present…' HISS! 'And for the future…'

HISSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

Another angry hiss could be heard as the device was cooled in the nearby stream. Vapors rose, obscuring the area for a moment. Then, after all the steam had dissipated, it was revealed. Submerged in the crystalline water was a gun or more specifically, a handgun. It had three barrels and at the front of it, there was a sculpture of a demon. Beautifully crafted, graceful lines adorned its surface, giving the deadly weapon an artistic look.

A red blur came down upon the gun. His long raven-black hair came down, swirling in a maelstrom of shining black. Piercing red eyes gazed at the weapon. A small smile hidden by the high-collar cloak showed on his face. Nodding in approval, he picked up his new gun. It was an advanced version of his beloved Death Penalty. With his unerring aim alone, very few things on the planet can survive an encounter with him. To endure all three bullets would require someone to be as powerful as him. To his knowledge, the only beings close to his abilities are his friends so he doesn't have much to worry about.

And yet, he created this weapon that is much more lethal than his old one. Why? It was all because of a mere feeling, more of instinct than knowledge. Then again, his intuition saved his life countless times in the past and it would be foolish to ignore such reliable senses.

"My work here is done…" The gunsmith spoke to no one in particular. "Redemption is born and from hence forth, Chaos is no more…"

He holstered his new weapon and walked off. His next destination: Wutai.

--- Wutai ---

"NO! NO! NO!"

For the sixth day in a row, screams could be heard. Unlike before, it didn't distract the people nearby for they've already adjusted to such random moments. That's because they're partially deaf.

"NO MORE SUITORS!"

Yuffie slammed the door and threw her Conformer at it. One of its sharp edges pierced through, barely missing the person standing outside. The maid sighed in exasperation. By now, both Kisagaris were being stubborn and the servants were punished for their hardheaded behavior. Godo threatened their jobs while Yuffie threatened their lives. Both were adamant about their decision and sooner or later, someone will get hurt. 'I hope I get paid overtime for this… Babysitting the both of them… Grrr…' The woman thought before leaving the ninja's doorstep.

On the other side, Yuffie flung herself onto bed. Tugging feathers out of a hole in her pillow, she silently wept. 'Why? This is so unfair… I don't wanna do this… All I want is to go back to Midgar and bug Vinnie…' Tears streaked down her porcelain face as she slowly cried herself to sleep.

At the same time, a cloaked man walked into the city, his metal boots clicking on the hard cobblestones. The first thing he noticed was the increased activity in the streets and bright decorations being put up. 'Could this be related to Yuffie?' He wondered.

"Excuse me sir," Vincent approached one of the workmen nearby. "Please enlighten me with the reason for such festivities."

"You must be passing through! The whole city knows that Princess Yuffie will have a husband tomorrow. We're preparing…" The man started to describe the wedding plans but quickly realized that the person he was talking to was no longer there. In fact, he disappeared.

Vincent turned a corner and ran down the street, not bothering with the rest of the gossip. 'Yuffie? Getting married? This must be forced because she'll never marry on her own... I must stop this. It's now or never…' He picked up his pace, the new mission screaming urgency in his mind. 'Now or never…'

--- The next day ---

Yuffie woke up and found her eyes dry. 'Cried myself to sleep again…' She thought. The ninja shuffled over to her bedroom bathroom and jumped. She saw her reflection in the mirror and the sight was frightful. Her shoulder-length hair was sticking up in every direction possible, looking worse than Cloud's. Her tear stained eyes showed the stress she endured for the past week. In all, she looked like a crazed raccoon. She giggled but the mirth soon went away. Her freedom will be taken away soon. Today, Godo will pick a husband and the wedding ceremony would be announced all over the city. To her, it meant a boring domesticated life, one chained down by the opposite sex. 'It's too late… If only I can turn back time…'

"Damn…" She sighed. It was going so well until she came back. 'I should have known… That old geezer can't die! He doesn't give a damn about me! How could I fall for that stupid letter? I'm so stupid! Stupid!" She banged her head against the wall, seeking solace through pain. 'Maybe if I keep doing this, it'll be postponed…' It didn't work and the day still went on even if she had a headache.

Right after lunch, Yuffie was dragged into Godo's room. Her stormy eyes were fill with rage but also defeat. There was no escape from her fate.

"Hmmm… You've beaten up every suitor I've presented you…" Her father started to berate her for what she'd done. Well, it wasn't her fault that every man sent to her was disgusting. When they started to advance on her, she didn't show them mercy and as a result, those men left with many wounds. Some of them had to be carried away on stretchers. 'Heh heh… Ninja skills… Handy… Booyah!'

"You're lucky… There was one man who volunteered and since I didn't want him beaten up like the others, you have to marry him." Godo finished and glanced back. Behind him was a room curtained off. Obviously, someone was in there and she knew that whoever he is, they'll be husband and wife soon. Much too soon for her liking.

"May I present… Mr. Arima Kanza!" Godo pulled a string with a flourish and the curtains instantly parted. Inside was a man but it was definitely not a stranger. In fact, it wasn't 'Arima Kanza'.

"Vincent!" Yuffie gasped, recognizing his typical red cloak. "Is that you?"

"Yes…" He then looked at the Lord of Wutai and narrowed his eyes. " We have to talk NOW about this… Marriage." Vincent took a step forward and looked down. Godo trembled with fear, wilting under the ex-Turk's gaze. Even so, he managed to speak. "W-W-What have you done to Arima?"

"He is safe and will be safe if you allow this lady to leave." Vincent said calmly. "Do we understand each other?" His hand hovered over Redemption, an extra incentive to agree.

"Y-Y-Yes… But who will be my heir?" Godo asked, still unwilling to give his daughter up.

"Yuffie will of course. She is mature enough to lead but only you do not see that. Trust me." He replied.

During this time, the female ninja still stood at the same spot, her jaw slightly unhinged. It fell completely open when she heard her friend say that. 'Vinnie? He's sticking up for me? Wow…'

Godo contemplated the same words. 'Is she truly mature enough? I don't know…'

As if sensing his doubt, Vincent spoke. "If you still do not believe her worthy, allow me to take your place until she has proven herself."

"What!" Both Godo and Yuffie were taken back by his proposal.

The elder was the first to regain his senses. "W-What! You're threatening me and you offer yourself the title of Lord? How dare you?" His face turned red with indignation.

"Name one fault of mines other than this event. After all, your decision forced me to appear in such a fashion…" Vincent countered.

Godo opened his mouth, expecting a torrent of complaints to come out. Instead, there was only silence. The ruler could not deny the facts. Vincent Valentine had proven himself many times in battle. He was both physically fit and mentally sound. Actually, he may be the perfect candidate for leadership, better than Cloud Strife. 'Hmmm… Also, if I'm seeing things correctly, Yuffie likes him… This isn't such a bad idea…'

"Well?" The cloaked man asked, impatient for the answer.

"Ok… Fine… I'll accept you into my family, but only when I retire!" Godo said, emphasizing the last condition.

"…" Vincent nodded and looked back at Yuffie. She still had not recovered from the shock. "Come Yuffie. Let's go home…" He grabbed her hand and walked out with the ninja in tow. After they passed the city gates, she returned to normal.

"Vinnie?" She asked. Her companion glanced at her, indicating that he's listening.

"Vinnie, you know if you become the Lord of Wutai, you have to marry the princess…" Then, after taking a deep breath, she said, "You'll have to marry me…"

"… What's wrong with that?" He replied with a small grin.

"W-What!" She stopped in her tracks, looking at him in astonishment.

"Is there anything wrong, Yuffie? Vincent asked innocently, stopping as well.

"N-N-No… It's just that… I didn't expect that answer… Especially from you…" Vincent almost chuckled at that statement but he didn't. Instead, he chose to move forward and soon, the two were walking again.

A short while later, Yuffie started to slow down. "Ummm…" Yuffie started to blush. "Vinnie? Do you still wanna hold hands?"

Vincent looked down and realized that they've been holding hands the entire time. 'How come I didn't notice that before? Damn… What am I thinking? This is not the time…' He quickly let go of her hand and turned away. Even so, Yuffie saw what was happening to his face.

"Vinnie… You're blushing," She said, noticing the twinge of red creeping onto his cheeks.

"No I'm not" He refuted.

"Yes you are…" She persisted.

"NO I'M NOT!" He vehemently denied, picking up his pace.

"Vinnie's blushing! Vinnie's blushing! Vinnie's blushing!" Yuffie started to dance around him, chanting that at the top of her lungs.

The ex-Turk groaned. 'I've saved her and this is my redemption… Ugh!"

* * *

**FreeCorpKnight**: Ok… I stopped playing GunzOnline everyday and spent more time on the story. However, as some of you may know, this update came a bit later than usual. 

**Tifa Lockhart**: Why are you late if you stopped playing that stupid game of yours? (_raises fists in a threatening manner_)

**FreeCorpKnight**: (_takes a step back_) Ummm… I found some interesting manga…

**Tifa Lockhart**: (_takes a step forward_) And what manga would be more important than Final Fantasy VII?

**FreeCorpKnight**: (_whimpers_) Kare Kano.

**Cloud Strife**: (_rolls his eyes_) So you're too busy looking at some series about high school romance… Just great…

**FreeCorpKnight**: Hey! It's cool! It's about two perfectionists and how they realize their flaws. Along the way, the two discover their true selves and fall in love with each other! It's so… beautiful. (_daydreams about the perfect relationship_)

**Tifa Lockhart**: (_shakes her head_) Beautiful? You using that word scares me… I'm starting to doubt your sanity…

**FreeCorpKnight**: Hey! I am sane! Perfectly normal! (_starts to count the number of dots on the ceiling_)

**Cloud Strife**: (_shrugs_) Whatever… You abandoned the Cloud/Tifa moment just so you can read Kare Kano… Just bloody great…

**FreeCorpKnight**: It doesn't matter… This chapter is more about Vincent and Yuffie. You two don't play a big part…

**Cloud **and **Tifa**: (_growls_)

**FreeCorpKnight**: (_starts to sweat_) B-But you will in the next chapter! I promise! That's when you (_points to Tifa_) and him (_points to Loz_) fight. Big fight scene!

**Tifa Lockhart**: Great… I know how much you'll enjoy writing that part out… After all, I do lo-… Mmpmh!

**FreeCorpKnight**: (_muffles Tifa_) No spoilers! Now as for the rest of you (_turns to audience_), I hope you've enjoyed the chapter and please review…

**Cloud Strife**: (_draws Ultima sword_) You dare touch her! Die! (_slashes at FreeCorpKnight_)

**FreeCorpKnight**: (_lets go of Tifa_) Wah! (_barely dodges the sword_)

**Tifa Lockhart**: (_clenches fists_) Nobody has the right to touch me (_murmurs under her breath_) except for Cloud… (_kicks at author_)

**FreeCorpKnight**: Aiyee! (_summons a chocobo and escapes with it_) Freedom!


	12. Choosing the Future

**Date of Post**: August 24, 2005

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Advent Children and the other nifty stuff that Square-Enix have. All I have is this work of literature, which upon rereading seems unworthy of posting… But hey! Who am I to judge my own writing? You people do! So please review!

**FreeCorpKnight**: Owww… (_moans in pain_)

**Everyone**: (o.O) What's wrong?

**FreeCorpKnight**: Wisdom… Teeth… Taken… Out… (_points at jaw_) Hurts…

**Everyone**: Awww…

**FreeCorpKnight**: Need… Pills… (_collapses onto bed_)

**Everyone**: (O.O)

**FreeCorpKnight**: (_goes off into dreamland_)

**Everyone**: (_whispers_) What about the story?

**Author's Notes  
**Ah… I must give thanks to the readers who had patiently dealt with my short absence. I'm feeling much better now after getting another prescription filled out. Obviously, my gums had a bad reaction to one of the removals. After swishing around some falsely advertised mint-flavored solution for a week, everything is getting back to normal. Yup, I'm finally able to eat rice! … … … Anyways, I should leave you people to read the story… Yeah… Oh! By the way! I'll be putting up random excerpts from books I've read. I hope you understand and find truth in them… … … Review.

"… _I understand women." … "The point is … that there's no man alive who can honestly say those words and mean them. It just isn't possible, so there's no use trying. But that doesn't mean you can't love them anyway. And it doesn't mean that you should ever stop doing your best to let them now how important they are to you." -_The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks-

* * *

--- Final Heaven --- 

The sun rose from the east, its morning rays casting a golden glow upon the city of Midgar. A small window captured the beauty of the sunrise, looked out upon by none other than Cloud Strife. He watched as red, lavender, and orange painted the skies, turning the heavens above into a work of art that no person can ever replicate. Nursing a steaming cup of coffee, he leaned against the wall, drinking in both the view and the liquid caffeine. A pained expression briefly showed on his face when the vivid colors disappeared from view, their hues drowned out when the sun fully rose. 'So beautiful…' He thought before turning his attention back into the room. 'Just like yesterday and the days before… Hmmm?'

Cloud found himself looking into the eyes of a very beautiful woman, getting lost in them. Tifa, who was staring at him for the past ten minutes, jumped in surprise. For a moment, they couldn't look away, so entranced by the gaze of the other. 'This is the woman I… love? Wait, is this really love?' He wondered, furrowing his eyebrows in deep thought. Seeing the change, the brunette assumed the worst. 'Is he thinking about what he said two days ago? Does he regret it? Does he really love me or is this just… nothing?' When she came upon that possibility, something inside of her cracked. Feelings of rejection and sadness flooded her senses and soon, tears came to her eyes. She tried to hold them back but failed. Her wall of emotions crumbled as sobs broke free, disturbing the peaceful silence with the sounds of her anguish. Her legs weakened all of the sudden as if some vampiric being drained away her strength. Falling to her knees, her eyes squeezed shut in an attempt to stop the tears. 'Why does he keep doing this to me?'

"Huh?" The man causing her grief snapped back into reality and saw her crumpled form. Immediately, he came her side, kneeling so that they were eye-to-eye. Shaking her gently, he asked, "Teef? What's wrong? Talk to me."

She just kept crying, unable to give a response. The former leader of Avalanche was at a loss. Like most men, comforting others was not a subject he was familiar with. Nervously, he circled his arms around her, bringing her body closer to him. Soon, her head rested on his chest and the salty tears she wept moistened the front of his shirt. He hoped his embrace would calm her but instead, it seemed to make her depression worse. There were more tears and she even started to apologize. "I'm so sorry… So sorry…"

"What are you sorry for?" He asked, whispering into her ear. One of his hands moved up and down her back, trying to soothe her quaking form. "It's ok… I'm here… I'll stay here…"

"Y-You don't g-get it..." Tifa managed to say between sobs. "I-It's much m-m-more than that…"

"Shhh… You can tell me," he promised. "You can tell me anything…"

"…" She didn't reply but the crying abated a little.

"Shhh… Everythings going to be alright…" He whispered more comforting words to her. "Everythings going to be alright…"

After a few minutes, her tears stopped. Now and then, a shiver would run through her body. "Cloud? Can I ask you a question?"

The blond moved back a little so he can face her. That way, she could tell if he was speaking the truth. 'How come I have a weird feeling of déjà vu?' He thought before answering. "Yes, you can ask me about anything…"

"Please tell me the truth…" Tifa added.

"I will," he promised, tilting his head in curiosity. 'What could she be asking?'

"Do you really love me?"

For Cloud, it was one of those moments when time stopped and everything else faded away. This was the question he knew would come but nonetheless, was surprised when it was asked. 'So it has come down to this…' He thought, alone in the impenetrable darkness.

In an instant, every memory he ever had with Tifa came flooding into his mind, overwhelming him. To the other person in the room, Cloud appeared to jolt and fall backwards, his spine ending up in a graceful arch. He didn't notice any of this for he was unconscious, his eyes rolling into the back of his head. He was deaf to her screams and all he noticed were his memories, the very essence of his being.

He remembered how he was the outcast child in Nibelhiem. All of the other children left him alone and isolated, almost forgotten. All of the sudden, she wandered over one day and became his first friend. Then years later, Cloud remembered how her eyes lit up when he gave her the flower he bought from Aeris. He remembered how sad she was when he picked Aeris for the date in the Gold Saucer. He remembered the look on her face when he pulled the gun away from her head, confusion and hope in her eyes. More memories flickered by, less important but still a part of him.

Then, his tempest in his mind quelled. A familiar figure in a pink dress and long brown hair appeared and then like Tifa, every memory he had with Aeris came at him: buying the flower from her, falling through the church and onto her flowerbed, the date at the Golden Saucer, seeing Sephiroth run her through...

His journey neared its end. Cloud ended up in a black void, darkness surrounding him once more. As if he was on trial, a solemn voice interrogated him. "Tifa or Aeris?"

"What do you mean?" Cloud asked, unsure of whom he was answering.

"Now or never… Pick…" The hidden judge commanded. "Pick… Pick…"

"I… pick…" He began to answer but was interrupted. His response did not come quick enough.

"Tifa or Aeris? Pick..." Again, the question was asked.

"I pick… Tifa," Cloud finally gave his answer, feeling relieved as if a great burden was lifted from his shoulders.

"A wise decision… You have chosen the future over your past. Make sure you realize that for though your words may say so, your actions will determine your true feelings…" The invisible judge spoke his sentence and the darkness gave way to light. His vision slowly came back, blurred as if he awakened from a deep sleep. The first thing he saw was a very worried Tifa.

"Cloud! Wake up! Please wake up! I'm sorry!" She was cradling his head and crying tears again. "I'm sorry for asking that… Please… Just wake up…"

"Ugh… Tifa?" He moaned, still quite drained from his mental ordeal. 'What just happened?'

"Cloud!" She gave a squeal of happiness, which was followed by a bone-crushing time. Cloud blushed, thinking his position more than a little awkward. "You're ok… I'm so sorry…" She continued, rocking back and forth.

"I'm… fine…" He managed to say and the two separated only a little, both a bit red in the cheeks. The blond took a deep breath before continuing. "It's alright. You of all people should know…" He sat up properly and in a sincere tone, he added, "As for your question, the answer is yes. I really do love…"

BOOM!

An ear-shattering sound came from below, interrupting Cloud's declaration.

'Damn it!' The two cursed mentally. 'Something always has to ruin the romantic moment… Curse whoever it is…' Their eyes glared daggers at the floor, hoping to kill the intruder.

Tifa moved first knowing that he won't talk about the subject with people nearby. Though disappointed, she wasn't offended because she knew of his unease. He's still not comfortable with opening up and pushing him to do so would only make matters worse. But still, the tingling sensation of his touch lingered, an eerie reminder of what had almost happened. Almost being the key word.

Reluctantly, she got up and left the room. Tifa slowly made her way downstairs, expecting an impatient customer demanding liquor. 'If it was one of those idiots who did that, I'm so gonna kill him...'

Just when she arrived at the bar, two familiar faces gave her a pleasant surprise. The smaller welcomed her with a shrill scream. "AUNTIE TIFA! YOU'RE HERE!"

"MARLENE!" Tifa quickened her pace and swept the little girl up, giving her a massive hug. "What are you doing here? It's been a while since you've visited…" The two laughed out loud, forgetting their worries in that blissful moment. Of course, to any male observing this, the situation was... worrisome to say the least.

"Hey!" A deep resonating voice boomed out, announcing the other's presence at the door. "Don't forget bout me! I don't want you two going crazy on me now…"

"Hi Barret! It's nice to see you too! Come in!" Tifa said, letting go of Marlene.

"Hmph! Heard that old Spike's here… Where is he?" Barret asked, looking around the empty bar.

"Right here…" A tired voice came from the top of the stairs as Cloud made his unkempt appearance.

The dark-skinned man looked at his two friends. He noticed the woman's red eyes and other's disheveled appearance. He raised an eyebrow at a thought. 'Did those two get into one of those damn fights? Are they…? Nah… They too dumb to start that right now. Especially Spike.' Barret gave a halfhearted chuckle and made his way into the building, eager to know what his companions were up to.

--- The next day ---

Tifa yawned and shuffled into Cloud's room. Rubbing her eyes, she moved to his side, meaning to check his wounds. Suddenly, she gasped and covered her eyes. The barmaid found herself beside a half-naked handsome man clad only in his chocobo boxers.

'No. No. No… I'm not here to look at him… Well, I am but not his body! Just to check if that nasty cut healed properly… I'm going to look at his leg… ONLY HIS LEG!' She reprimanded herself before removing her hands. She saw bright blue eyes staring back at her with a hint of amusement in them. 'Oh damn… He's awake…'

"I-I… I-was-just-checking-on-your-leg-to-see-if-it's-alright!" She quickly explained herself, uttering an excuse that was comprehendible only to her ears. The would-be patient continued to stare, moving only to scratch his head in confusion. "Huh?"

'Oh yes… Leave Cloud to make all the smart decisions… Sometimes I wonder how he was able to lead us…' Tifa thought, taking her mind away from the embarrassing moment just seconds ago. 'Maybe he forgot…'

"Teef? You alright? You kinda spaced out just now… Hello?" Cloud waved his hand frantically, trying to catch her attention. Seeing her dazed eyes, he had to use his last resort: the dreaded pillow of doom. 'Oh I am so gonna get in trouble with this…'

THWACK!

"… WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT FOR!" An angry Tifa screeched in indignation. A very fluffy pillow had just crashed into her face, annoying her beyond words.

'Well… At least it got her out of that trance… That was so creepy… OW!' Cloud's thoughts were interrupted when the person he was thinking of retaliated, swinging the same pillow back at him. Whipping out his spare, he defended himself from her following attacks, throwing a counter in return here and there. Peals of laughter came from the two of them, their joy doubling when golden feathers burst from their weapons. A whirlwind of chocobo down floated in the air, enveloping the combating forms in a sea of yellow.

"PILLOW FIGHT!" Marlene stormed into the room with a pillow in each hand. She quickly joined the fray, attacking both her adopted aunt and uncle. "TAKE THIS!"

Barret soon followed and unlike his daughter, chose wisely to stay out of the fight. He ran both hands down his face, his frustration showing. 'Yea… Leave Tifa and dumb Spike alone? Like hell… They're so fucking immature… Dunno how the hell he got to be our leader…' Still, contrary to his thoughts, he let the trio have their fun for a few more minutes.

The former leader of Avalanche stepped in once the pillows posed no threat. By then, the floor was covered with feathers and the three collapsed onto the bed, laughing like maniacs. 'I swear… They've fucking lost it…'

Grabbing the two 'adults', he threw them over his shoulders.

"Barret… Put me down!" Tifa giggled and squirmed about. "This isn't my fault!"

"Yea-huh! It's her fault!" Cloud stuck out his tongue. Tifa poked her out in return.

"Nuh-huh!"

"Yea-huh!"

"Nuh-huh!"

"Yea-huh!"

"Nuh-huh!"

"Yea-huh!"

"WILL YOU TWO SHUT UP!" Barret roared, finally fed up with the two's juvenile antics. It's hard enough trying to raise one child but having to take care of two grownup kids is going way too far. He dumped his charges onto the floor, the feathers swirling upwards from being disturbed. Barret's fists clenched and unclenched, an ominous sign of anger. Even though his mechanical arm didn't appear to be a firearm, it actually conceals three synchronized guns, making it a deceptively dangerous weapon. Cloud and Tifa cowered in fear.

"Daddy? Daddy?" A shy voice prevented the large man from going berserk. Marlene always had a way with calming Barret down and her words went straight to his heart. For this, the two 'adults' owed the child their lives. His face softened and he looked down at her. "What sweetie? What do you want from daddy?"

"Can me and auntie Tifa go out?" Marlene looked up, hopeful for a positive answer.

"Sure, whatever you want dear…" Barret said, with adoration in his eyes.

Cloud made gagging noises, faking his disgust at the sight of a softhearted Barret. Noticing his reaction, Tifa turned to him and smiled sweetly. "And you can clean up this mess of yours…"

"WHAT! YOU DID THIS TOO!" He protested.

"Yes but I own this place and you still owe me one… no, two afternoons. Clean this up as payment for one of them." She reasoned. "Oh Barret? Can you stay here and make sure he does that?"

"Yea… Spike here IS gonna do it, right?" His prosthetic arm made a fist, daring Cloud to answer otherwise.

"Uh… sure…" The mercenary replied, knowing what's best for him.

"Great!" Tifa clapped her hands and dragged Marlene out the door. "Now we can have some girl talk all to ourselves!"

"Man… This sucks…" The blond complained, looking at the messy room. "Do I really have to do this?"

"Get yo ass working! Dumb Spike…"

--- In the streets of Midgar ---

Tifa and Marlene shuffled down the streets, alone in their own little world. They were chatting about random things ranging from the weather to their secret crushes. From what the barmaid heard, her younger companion had taken a keen interest with one of her orphans, Denzel. In return, she told Marlene about her father's rude entrance and how it had disturbed Cloud. They both laughed and thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon. Yet, the cheery atmosphere vanished when they entered a certain neighborhood.

"Auntie Tifa? Can we go see Aeris?" Marlene asked, looking up at her guardian with all traces of joy absent from her face.

"Sure…" Tifa said with a smile. She knew that the two were close friends. When Avalanche tried to stop the destruction of Sector 7, Marlene was left in the flower girl's care. During the group's expedition, the child stayed with Elmyra, Aeris's adopted mother. Besides, the excursion would allow her to get some of Cloud's stuff. Unless he's willing to wear the same dirty uniform everyday, Tifa would have to grab some of his spare clothes.

Holding hands, they walked down to the church. Upon opening the heavy wooden doors, a sweet fragrance welcomed them, beckoning them toward the lively patch at the center of the chapel. The dusty floorboards creaked when Marlene walked down the aisle, protesting the weight of the little girl. Tifa watched as she came to her knees, mumbling a heartfelt prayer to Aeris. The poor light cast upon the kneeling figure reminded the barmaid of her fallen friend. In her eyes, she saw a forlorn figure looking over her precious flowers.

'This place… It holds so many memories… of her…' Tifa thought before moving next to her. 'I wonder how Cloud manages in this place… Everything reminds me of her…'

Boom… Click…

'What the…?' The two females turned around and saw what made the noise. Someone came in from behind and shut the door, locking it from the inside. That person gave a sly grin, the smile not fitting his burly figure.

He strode in with confidence. "Hello… Sorry to interrupt you… I really am…" He apologized in an insincere tone.

"Who are you?" Tifa asked warily and raised her fists. Cloud rarely had any visitors and this man does not seem to have good intentions especially with that smirk of his.

"My name is Loz. I could ask who you are but I already know… I am so honored to meet the famed Miss Tifa Lockhart, apprentice to Zangan and faithful companion to Cloud Strife…" He said, showing no fear at all. If anything, a flicker of admiration and contemplation showed on his face but they vanished before she could tell for sure. "Though your deeds are great, I'm not here for you… Only for you!" Loz pointed his finger at Marlene.

"What?" The child asked, confused by the situation.

The silver-haired man looked at her and then smirked. "You do not know? You're… special"

Marlene gasped, knowing what he implied. Since she spent a lot of time with the diseased orphans and was a child herself, she should have Geostigma. Fortunately, she didn't though that fact had drawn the attention of this… villain.

"I'm here… to get you." Loz repeated as he drew the gunblade strapped on his thigh.

"No! You won't take her away from me!" Tifa yelled, standing between him and Barret's daughter.

"Well Miss Lockhart, I must say… You have a lot of spirit. It'll be a pity to take that away … Do you really think you can stop me?" Loz taunted, aiming the gun at her.

"Yes!" Tifa stated, getting into her battle stance.

"I'm impressed…" Loz contemplated and then sheathed his weapon. He checked his arm, the one with the metal claw, to make sure it was attached properly. It wouldn't do any good if it fell apart all of the sudden.

"Marlene! Get out of here! Go find Cloud!" Tifa ordered, realizing that her opponent was distracted.

The girl still didn't move, shocked by impending fight. It wasn't her nature to run away when a friend is in danger. She was separated once before and back then, friend had died. No, she would stay here until the end. 'I won't leave Tifa! I won't leave Tifa!' Marlene knew that the decision rested not in her hands but in fate. Her future was determined by the winner of the fight and it was unclear on who that will be. 'Please... Beat him…'

Tifa shifted her body for basic defense, unsure of how Loz would fight. As for the silver-haired man, he just circled her like a hawk, analyzing her strengths and weaknesses. Then, without warning, he rushed at her with one fist drawn back for a devastating punch.

'And so it begins…' She thought before raising her defenses.

* * *

**Author's Babble**  
This is what I've done during my absence… 

Reading: The Wedding, A Bend in the Road, A Night in Rodanthe, The Rescue (All four authored by the master of romance novels… Nicholas Sparks)

Watching: Fullmetal Alchemist (First 8 episodes in English… I live in the United States and reside in an area where anime/manga is not very popular… Very lucky that I was able to obtain the two DVDs…), National Security (Funny), Message in a Bottle (Very disappointing because it deviated so much from the novel… Ruined a perfectly good story), Once a Thief (Crap), Man of Fire (Confusing in the middle and failed to satisfy my need for action)

Ate: ICE CREAM! Yum! Root beer float rocks! Oh, for more filling material, noodles… Still good but not as tasty…

**Thanks to my Loyal Reviewers**

Wrath-Oathkeeper: Thanks for being there for me every weekend. I'm very glad that you matured enough to not send nudges every three seconds. Also, I should really get back to reading other people's fanfictions. I'm gonna review yours first :)

navi the rabid pixie: Cool name and yes, you can have a clone. No... Take both of them. One's being a pervert and the other's too damn quiet.

Christian Arnold: Sorry but I was sick this time. I'll try but college is coming up. I'll have to see how that goes...

final fantasy fan: Thanks for the concern! I'll try to update regulary!

DemonSurfer: Hiya! Haven't seen you review for a long time... Oh well, no harm done... I hope you like this chapter (but Iguess you like the previous one more... No Vincent or Reno in this one... Pity...) and all hail Final Fantasy Advent Children!

RAWR! Over 1000 hits but less than 20 reviews! I WANT MORE! ... ... ... Yeah... ... ... Erm... Please review.


	13. The Battle Lost

**Disclaimer**:  
I don't own any of the characters written here nor do I own the plot on which this story is based on. I own only my words. If you have any problem with that, don't read this.

**Author's Note:  
**For my previous readers, you may not have read the previous chapter since I replaced my message with the real stuff. Thus, you may not have received any alert about it. Anyways, I just wanted to let you people know so you won't get too confused about it all. Oh yeah, this chapter is mostly about the fight between Tifa and Loz. Hope you enjoy it!

**Quote**:  
I like this passage… I should put it in my first chapter but what I wrote is way too short. Anyways, I think this captures the theme of any good fanfiction with lots of angst. Also, Nicholas Sparks is the master of romance novels. No doubt about that.

"Where does a story truly begin? In life, there are seldom clear-cut beginnings, those moments when we can, in looking back, say that everything started. Yet there are moments when fate intersects with our daily lives, setting in motion a sequence of events whose outcome we could never have foreseen."  
A Bend in the Road by Nicholas Sparks

* * *

'Too slow!' 

Pain flared from her stomach as the fist made its way past her defenses. Tifa stumbled back, her form doubled over in an attempt to stop the fire running through her body. Though hurt, she kept her eyes on him, unwilling to let her guard once more.

"This is very disappointing… I had such high expectations of your abilities but I guess two years will do a lot to you… What a pity…" The silver-haired man said, gloating in his latest success. He narrowed his eyes and started to advance, his footsteps echoing in the hollow church.

'The bastard…' Tifa cursed. The two of them had been fighting for more than ten minutes and it's been wearing her down. Her fatigue was starting to affect her reflexes and sooner or later, a fatal error would be made. 'I have to end it soon… But what to do?' She wondered. Then an idea stuck her. 'Wait… The benches… Would it work? … … Maybe… I have to try it…'

She slowly willed away her pain away but kept her wounded appearance. Feigning fear, she took a few steps back until her right foot came into contact with one of the pews. 'Perfect!" She thought as she braced her leg for a strong push. 'Just a little closer…'

"You shouldn't run from a fight… Not when I'm not-" Loz's taunt was cut short by Tifa's quick action. Using her left foot as a pivot, she pushed off the wooden leg as hard as possible, adding much to her momentum. Tucking her right arm in, she quickly spun, dealing a harsh blow with her elbow. It struck him right across his face, staggering him back against the wall.

Loz growled in frustration. The battle was entirely in his favor until this moment when she caught him unprepared. 'This isn't acceptable!' He shook his head and moved to his left. Staying still would leave him open to another attack. If he kept moving, he may be able to buy a few seconds to regain his vision. However, the first thing he saw was the brunette leaping in the air. 'Crap…'

Tifa jumped at his former position, the intended kick for his head meeting stone instead of flesh. Not relinquishing her advantage, she kicked off, getting higher and closer to her target below. When her feet met a nearby pillar, she pushed off, finally catching up to the man. Pouncing on him like a preying feline, she gave a harsh kick to his left side, making him fall backwards.

Loz did a flip once he saw her attack. Even though she made contact, his movement followed the same direction as the blow, greatly lessening the damage. Gritting his teeth, he continued his flip backwards, eager to face his opponent on better terms. 'Now you're… WHAT!'

Loz watched helplessly as Tifa took a few steps forward and shot her hand out, grabbing his face. With surprising strength, she slammed his head down, grinding it against the floor. With their combined momentum, he could feel the coarse wood and the intense heat resulting from friction.

"ARRRRRG!" He yelled, voicing his pain and frustration. Yet, his suffering was not over. Tifa grabbed the front of his vest and with a scream of rage, threw him head over heels. He tumbled through the air, disorientated and knowing nothing more than the imminent pain awaiting him.

CRASH!

Loz slammed into the far wall, his left arm taking the most damage. Fortunately for him, the massive claw attached to it cushioned the blow, leaving him moderately wounded. Tifa quickly turned around, eager to know how successful her attack was. Arching her eyebrows in surprise, she found him little more than out of breath and disoriented. Yet, he was still moving, this time faster than before. In fact, there was a bluish glow following his every move, giving an eerie blur to his darkened form. He dashed toward the center of the church, wanting to put as much distance between him and her. The brunette pursued but by the time she reached him, he was fully prepared to defend himself.

However, there was one more trick up her sleeves. Her energy was at their maximum, the frustration and anger she kept in boiling to the point where she risked losing concentration of the battle. 'Beat rush,' she thought before unleashing her first limit break. A flurry of fists attacked Loz, almost breaking through his defenses. Almost being the key word.

Every punch was blocked or deflected away. Seeing that her first limit would be of no use of if it can't do any damage, she decided to do a roundabout kick, one aimed of his neck. If it was successful, there should be enough force to break his spine and handicap him.

Feinting an attack to his left, she suddenly changed direction and spun her leg right at him. 'Almost…'

Suddenly, a blur of blue appeared at the edge of her vision. Loz's arm came up faster than the eye could see and blocked her kick. With a smirk, he kept his grip on her ankle and swung her around, like an athlete about to throw a discus.

"RAAAAAAAGH!"

After swinging her around him twice, he let go and sent her flying above the patch of flowers. At the speed she's going, her body would be seriously injured if she doesn't do anything to break her fall. Yet, as her form sped toward the hard bricks, she couldn't think fast enough.

'There's… not… enough… time… Nothing… I'm sorry… Marlene… I'm sorry… Barret… I'm sorry… Cloud… Cloud… I'm so sorry…' She closed her eyes and waited for her end to come.

When her eyes saw darkness, Tifa suddenly had a flashback. She remembered the lessons she had with Xangan, her teacher and master of the martial arts. She recalled the many times her instructor threw her and how she would land painfully on her back. In those early days, she had to learn a new technique, one that allowed her to land properly. The event happening right now resembled one of her past sparring exercise. Delving into her memories, Tifa found out how to counter Loz's throw.

With speed borne from desperation, she twisted her body and spread her legs out. While doing so, her body flew just over the flowers, the gust caused by her passing cut the petals off of the flowers, scattering them into the air. The brunette flew into the wall and braced herself in time. Still, the throw had enough momentum to keep her suspended in midair. Slowly raising her head, she saw Loz smiling at her.

"It's time to end this…" He said, approaching her with malice in his eyes. Tifa started to fall down, gravity pulling her body down. Her body finally gave up, too tired to continue the fight. Crashing onto the bed of flowers, she sprained her ankle and the additional injury would surely cost her the battle. 'No…' She thought. 'I managed to stop that… I can do this…'

Yet, no matter how hard she tried to convince herself, Tifa couldn't move. Her ankle refused to bear her weight. Through teary eyes, she watched as her death approached. His dark form blurred into a shadow, one likened to the grim reaper. Soon, Loz was standing over her, ready to finish her off. That was the last thing she saw before her vision faded black.

"It's over. I win." The silver-haired man said with a victorious smirk. Then, he raised his claw up, prepared to deal the fatal blow.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! STOP!"

A scream stopped Loz from delivering his attack. Quickly, he turned around and looked for the person who shouted out loud. He was expecting another Avalanche member to fight him but was very surprised to find the little girl he sought standing at the entrance.

"Let her go! I'll go with you if you leave my aunt alone!" She yelled. Despite her noble words, she was shivering in fear, a fact noticed by the man.

"Eh? What makes you think I'll listen to you?" He taunted, raising his fist again. "Do you really think that you could stop me?"

"No…" Her eyes were downcast when she realized how helpless she truly was. Marlene knew that she wasn't strong at all and there weren't any weapons nearby. Still, if she could stall long enough, Tifa may regain consciousness and get away.

"Please… just don't hurt her…" The child begged with pleading eyes.

Loz, despite his intimidating appearance, was very sensitive to the emotions of others. Even though he beat Tifa without remorse, the sight of a despairing child struck a chord in his cold heart. He could feel her pain, her suffering, her distress. After all, he was about to kill her best friend in front of her eyes. The fighter closed his eyes and tried to finish off the unconscious woman before him. 'No… I have to do this… For Kadaj and Yazoo… Damn…' Loz's will crumbled once he opened his eyes, the same vision before him. 'I'm too weak… Sorry brother… I'm… too weak…'

"Alright…" The man relented, walking away from the prone body. He walked up to Marlene, cowing her with his superior height. Yet, she didn't look afraid this time. Instead, a single word escaped her mouth, a plea for help. "Cloud."

"Marlene! Run! Run Marlene! Get away from her!" Another voice cut through the air. Tifa had just woke up and saw him towering over the girl.

"… So… child… you have betrayed me…" Loz's temper flared after realizing what happened. 'Smart child… Buying time for your hero huh? Not good enough! I'll make you suffer!'

With lightning speed, Loz dashed back to Tifa and before she could do anything, gave her a powerful uppercut that sent her flying straight up. With a resounding THUMP, the brunette landed onto the flowers for the second time. 'Now she won't be waking up anytime soon… In fact, I'll make sure that she never wakes up again!' His claw rose into the air, the silver metal glinting in the golden sunlight.

"No!" Marlene screamed. "Please… I'll go with you… Just leave her alone… Please…" She took a step toward the doors, willing herself to run. The silent threat was communicated to the villain, one not ignored.

'No… If I do this, she'll get away and Kadaj doesn't want that… Hmmm… I have no choice… Anyways, I would like to have a rematch with her…' He inwardly smiled at the thought. 'Maybe by then, she'll be stronger… Heh…' Loz lowered his fist, showing his agreement.

Marlene whimpered as he approached her. Yet, she knew that since his total concentration was devoted to her, there was no chance that she could escape. Still, even if she wanted to move, fear gripped her heart, the emotion holding her immobile like a steel vice.

'Tifa…' Marlene thought before Loz tapped her in the temple. It was a light blow but it managed to knock the child out.

"Mission… complete…" Loz said to the unconscious woman. "I'll look forward to our next fight…" With that, he slung the girl over his shoulder and left the church. Seconds later, the sound of a motorcycle revving up could be heard, followed quickly by screeching wheels. Peace and quiet returned to the area though the only person who could hear it was lying motionless among flowers.

The fight between Tifa and Loz was over… Loz had won.

* * *

**Meaningless Dialogue  
**FreeCorpKnight: Fa! La! La! Lucky chapter 13 done! 

Reno: Took you long enough… What have you been doing?

FreeCorpKnights: Oh… Packing for college, moving into my dorm, getting adjusted to my classes, learning to cope with the attitude of sophomores and juniors, reading Fullmetal Alchemist manga…

Reno: I shouldn't have asked… (_walks away_)

FreeCorpKnight: Watching Bleach…

Rude: … (_follows_)

FreeCorpKnight: Doing my homework…

Elena: (_shakes head_) The leader of the Turks… is a baka… (sees Reno talk to a woman at the bar) No… (_watches as he gets slapped_) He's a baka hentai… (_walks away in the opposite direction_)

FreeCorpKnight: And then… (_looks around_) Where did everyone go?

(_sound of crickets_)

FreeCorpKnight: Damn… Scared them away…

**Translations  
**Baka: idiot 

Hentai: perverted

Baka hentai: perverted idiot


	14. Fallen Love

**Disclaimer  
**If you haven't noticed, the past thirteen chapters say the same thing. I don't Final Fantasy. I'm writing this for my own entertainment and for those of my readers. I'm not here to make a profit. If you want to sue me for any reason, you must be a retarded idiot for ignoring all those disclaimers… and I wish for you ignorant people to leave. 

**Author's Blurb  
**This chapter started out as a song-chapter, based on "Sunday Morning Song" by Howie Day. Good but there's better ones on his CD. Anyways, I was hoping that it would fit well with the theme but... well, it was way too cheery for this. Anyways, this will be a normal chapter. The only reason why I told you about that is just to humiliate myself I guess. I'll try to work a song with the next chapter… No promises… Wait, I should ask for your opinions first. Want a song fic or not? Or do you even care? The songs I pick reflect upon me so if you want to know who the real me is, it'll be an opportunity. Please put your vote in your review.

* * *

"YES!" An elated shout of joy startled the people nearby, their eyes looking fearfully at the establishment known as Seventh Heaven. 

Inside, a certain blond-haired man plopped down and gave a deep-hearted sigh of relief. Earlier that day, the room was covered with chocobo feathers. Now, after spending seven long grueling hours cooped up in that confined space, everything was finally cleaned up. He had spent the entire morning and part of the afternoon picking up every last bit of the cursed yellow stuff. 'Yes… I'm free… No more feathers… No more work…'

All of a sudden, a painful growl came from his stomach, interrupting his brief reprieve. "Ugh… Heaven denied…" He moaned and rolled over. That elicited another protest from his body, which was demanding food this instant. "Stupid Barret… I hate him… I really do…"

Cloud got up and wandered over to the door with a new purpose in mind. He didn't have any breakfast or lunch thanks to the big black hulking warden standing outside. No… It wasn't just the refusal to give food to him. There was torture involved. His compatriot taunted him by bring a delicious meal into the room. Then, he ate the huge sandwich right in front of his eyes followed by some chocolate chip cookies, the same tasty ones made by Tifa the night before. It was a horrible experience to say the least, ending up with him groveling on the floor and earning little more than crumbs.

"Hey Barret! You there?" The mercenary knocked on the door, trying to get his attention.

Something shuffled outside, giving a yawn. "What do ya want Spike? I ain't giving ya nothing til you're done!"

"Yeah. I'm done now so you can let me out." He answered. 'Damn… He was asleep… Could have escaped…'

"Ok… Stay in there. I gotta check if you did your fucking job right. Last time you just shoved them all under the bed… Damn fool…" Cloud sweat-dropped, remembering how his brilliant plan led the other man to yell at him and scatter the feathers everywhere, making him do it all over again. Perhaps that was also the reason why Barret brought and ate his lunch in there.

The warden opened the door and stayed near it, ready to prevent his prisoner from escaping prematurely. Taking in every detail, he saw nothing suspicious and that the room was spotless, none of the feathers in sight. In fact, Barret wouldn't doubt it if the place was the dust-free. He gave a grunt of approval and exited, making no attempts to block Cloud from doing the same.

The now freed prisoner dashed out and zoomed toward the kitchen, ripping open cabinets and the refrigerator door in his desperate search for food. He found another sandwich identical to the one Barret ate and more cookies. Cloud consumed all of them in minutes. Then, finding a pitcher of iced tea standing innocently on the countertop, he grabbed it and chugged the cool drink, finishing off his breakfast/lunch with several loud audible gulps. "Ahhh…" He gave a sigh of satisfaction, his hunger and thirst being sated.

Tap. Tap. Tap… Tap. Tap. Tap… Tap. Tap. Tap.

Cloud looked up to see Barret standing nearby, his face showing annoyance. 'Great… What did I do to piss him off this time?' He wondered. 'Wait… Who made that sandwich? It wasn't there before… And the tea… That wasn't there before either… Crap!'

"Ummm… Thanks for… the sandwich… and the drink" He managed to say, scooting farther away at the same time.

"Hmph! No problem… Hey, you didn't hear when Tifa and Marlene's coming back did ya?" The dark-skinned man asked, looking at the front door as if he expected them to come in at that moment.

"No…" Cloud answered. 'But it is getting a bit late…' A dark thought passed through his mind. 'Maybe they're still out… I hope so at least…' Both men stood in silence, trying to reassure themselves that all was well.

"Hey Spike! Dunno how else to say this but… You stink!" Barret pointed out, waving his fake hand in front of his nose in an exaggerated fashion.

"Hey!" The said-man protested. Then he sniffed himself and agreed wholeheartedly. "Maybe I should take a shower…"

"You should." Barret bluntly said. Cloud nodded and walked off.

Fifteen minutes later, a clean and lavender-scented man walked out. 'Damn it… Tifa didn't have anything else… Darn scented shampoo…' He didn't even touch the soap, being wary of its pink color and whatever girlish scent it may ooze.

Even though his body was fairly clean, his clothes were definitely not. He still had on the same torn-up and smelly ones he wore after the motorcycle ride. There weren't any spare clothes in the bar and everything the owner had didn't fit.

"Hey! You smell nice!" Barret then guffawed, laughing at the Avalanche leader who had taken a more feminine touch with the flowery scent. "What's next? Some lipstick and a dress? Gonna turn into a girl ya damn fool! Aha Ha Ha!"

When the details were mentioned, Cloud shuddered, remembering what he'd done to get into Don Corneo's mansion. He wore a satin dress, a blonde wig, a diamond tiara, and sexy cologne all in hopes of saving Tifa. Instead, he found her doing the job willingly to get some essential information. All that work ended up doing nothing but humiliate him… Another dark chapter in his past. Something he rather not relive or tell others.

"Barret, I'm going to go back to the chu-… I mean, my place to get a change of clothes. See ya later!"

"Yeah… Whatever. If you bump into Tifa and the little one, tell them to come back soon. Got that?" The former gunman said, waving him off and disappearing into the kitchen.

"Ok… Sure thing…" Cloud walked outside and climbed onto his Fenrir. It was still there, where he last put it. Nobody dared to touch it with Tifa's warning message taped on it.

TOUCH AND DIE!  
Below those words was a crude stick figure drawing showing someone being stabbed and disemboweled. Actually it looked more like someone giving birth… stick-figure style.

'Maybe Marlene drew the picture…' Cloud thought, tearing the paper off. 'No… Barret wouldn't let her draw something like that…' Then he looked at the sky. 'Hmmm… Looks like it's gonna rain… Such dark clouds. Better hurry up…' He revved up his bike and drove off, his worries washing away as the adrenaline pumped through his body.

Minutes later, Cloud arrived at his destination. The rain arrived at the same time, first sprinkling a light mist and turning quickly into a full-out downpour. His thoughts were too preoccupied by the failing drops to notice anything else. Securing his motorcycle, he quickly ducked under the overhang, the closest dry place. Resting there for a few moments, his thoughts wandered. 'Need new clothes… Maybe one or two sets. It's raining though… I don't wanna get them wet… … …' Suddenly, the calm struck him as strange, too peaceful even for a place like this.

'Something's wrong…' He thought for the place seemed too quiet. When his eyes wandered over to the church doors, he found them open. 'I always close them right after I leave… Someone's been here… But who? Who would come here?'

His hand immediately went to the short sword strapped on his back, a smaller version of the Ultima Weapon. Cloud walked slowly toward the building, his ears tuned to any and every sound. Even his footsteps seemed awfully loud, echoing in the empty space.

The mercenary peeked around the door, his eyes looking around for any possible threats. Lightning then flashed, playing with his vision and throwing shadows in random places. After a while, he found nothing outwardly suspicious, his hand strayed away from his blade. As he slowly walked in, he thought of the many possibilities. 'Probably some child who decided to explore this place… Or the wind… Or some poor soul seeking shelter…'

Striding down the center aisle, Cloud kept his eyes trained ahead of him, like a soldier marching in a parade. Halfway down, he gave a glance to the side, looking away for just a second. When his head turned back, he saw them. Flower petals. Strewn all over the place. Scattered indiscriminately. Torn from the stems.

"What the…" Someone had touched the sacred ground in the center, the one that he had spent so much time trying to preserve. "Whoever did this…" He growled as anger flowed through him. "Will pay… Dearly…"

Cloud looked around for clues but was very shocked to find the perpetrator right in front of him. And once he saw who it was, all feelings of vengeance left him only to be replaced with fear. Tifa was lying on her side, her face in a mask of anguish. Her body was battered, beaten up by Loz though the blonde didn't know that. All he knew was that the woman he loves… 'Loves? Do I really love her? … No! I can't be like this! There isn't any doubt about it. I love her! Yes, I loves her with all my heart.' His love is lying in a crumpled heap. The only indication of life was the slight movement of her soft brown hair, her breath moving the fine strands.

"Tifa! Tifa! Can you hear me?" He desperately shook her unconscious form. "No… I… I haven't even told her…" He cried as he raised her prone body in his arms. "Gotta get help… Bring her back… Seventh Heaven" He mumbled more incomprehensible phrases as he picked her body up and got on his bike.

"Tifa… Hang on… I'll get you help…" His vision became a blur then, distorted due to his tears, the flashes of lightning, and the panicked state he was in. In what seemed like seconds to him, he found himself out driving in the downpour, the atmosphere reflecting his mood. Dark and stormy. The turmoil in his heart.

Seventh Heaven soon appeared in front of him and without taking the keys out, he ran to the front door with the woman in his arms. Banging on the door, it was quickly answered by a grumpy Barret. Yet, when the gunman saw the brunette, he instantly ushered them in. Cloud ran upstairs to her bedroom and placed her on the soft mattress. Barret entered moments later with a towel and a bowl of lukewarm water. The two men started to tend her wounds, silently working through the afternoon. Hours later, Cloud collapsed due to exhaustion, falling asleep next to her side. Barret on the other hand stayed awake, watching over the two and waiting… and thinking… and hoping… 'What happened? If Tifa's hurt and Marlene was with her… Where did she go?'

"Wherever you are Marlene… I hope you're alright…"

**Credits  
**I THANK WRATHOATHKEEPER FOR STICKING BY ME ALL THIS TIME AND ANNOYING (erm… I mean, entertaining) ME ON MSN MESSENGER! Probably be working forever on chapters if it wasn't for your persistence. Keep reviewing!

mimi, No problem… I'll continue it as long as humanly possible. Glad to have a new person onboard! Please continue reviewing!

**Author's Note  
**Spoilers from Dirge of Cerberus (Don't read if you don't wanna know about the future!)

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Well, with some help from Wrath-Oathkeeper, we found some interesting stuff from the preview of the PS2 game centered around our favorite ex-Turk and gunslinger, Vincent Valentine. We know that Yuffie, Cid, Barret, Reeve, and Cait Sith are still alive, even after Advent Children because Dirge of Cerberus supposedly happens three years after. We're also pretty sure that Tifa is still there (saw her next to Barret in the truck) and Cloud as well since he's the only one that we know that drives the motorcycle (comes out of the back of Barret's truck). However, for you Sephiroth fans, the great ex-general seems to be dead… for sure this time. Rufus Shinra seems to be alive as well… at least at the beginning of the game. This new bit of information is important for me because it limits how my fic should end. Now, my original ending is disrupted… No matter, I'll put mines up as the alternate ending.


	15. Return to Midgar

**Disclaimer  
**I'm getting tired of doing this thing… Same cursed words used in a different order. Maybe this will be the last time I'll do this… I bet you people don't even look at this. Anyways, just in case any of you plan to be law majors just to steal money from me, I don't own Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children.

**Author's Notes **  
This chapter will be based on Vincent and Yuffie's experiences right after returning to Midgar. It'll soon involve a few moments of Cloud and Tifa (oh, and Barret will be there too… How forgetful of me… But he ain't too important right now… Just moping about losing Marlene). So… for you Yuffietine fans out there… Here it is… lolz

**Random Conversation  
**Free Corp Knight: College life is weird… 

Vincent Valentine: Quite…

Free Corp Knight: One second, I have free time… The next, none… Crazy…

Vincent Valentine: …

Yuffie Kisagari: Let me help translate for him! (_looks Vincent in the eye_) He says… Yup…

Free Corp Knight: Wow… You know him that well?

Yuffie Kisagari: Erm… Yes? (_shrugs_)

Free Corp Knight: GREAT! A person I know wants to ask a question… Do you mind?

Vincent Valentine: (_shakes head_) …

Yuffie Kisagari: (_grins_) He means yes!

Vincent Valentine: Wha-? (_mouth gets stuffed by a sock_)Mmmph!

Yuffie Kisagari: What was that? Oh… I see… He doesn't want to answer that person's question…

Vincent Valentine: (_looks relieved_)

Yuffie Kisagari: HE WANTS TO TELL THE WORLD WHETHER HE WEARS BOXERS OR BRIEFS!

Vincent Valentine: MMMMMPH! (_turns into Chaos and spits the sock out_)RAAAAAWR!

Yuffie Kisagari: EEEK! (_dashes away_)

Vincent Valentine: (_pursues_)

Free Corp Knight: Damn… No answers… I think that was her question too… Oh well… (_leaves_)

* * *

Vincent Valentine knew something was amiss when he walked into Midgar. There was an immeasurable sadness in the air. No, it didn't come from the Geostigma plague. It was sharper, as if it came from only one person but his/her suffering was equal to if not more than what the whole city is going through. Some horrible event had happened and it was disturbing him... immensely. 'What pain is this? This reminds me of… Lucrecia… It feels as if I'm losing her again…" The cloaked man paused, standing still with his real hand over his heart. 'These memories… This feeling… What could cause this? To a monster like me nonetheless… Hmmm… I rather know what it is now than to confront it later unprepared. The sadness… It's nearing… Is this emotion fear? Possibly… It matters not though… Soon I will know what happened-' 

"BOO!"

A shout brought him out of his thoughts, only to alert him a second too late of the incoming projectile. Right before his eyes, a green paper crane zoomed toward him with remarkable speed and accuracy. Just before collision, it turned, quickly averting disaster. Yet, the origami got too close to avoid contact, its wings giving his nose a small paper-cut. Vincent could only stare at the finely crafted bird returning back to its caster, a frozen expression with a small trickle of blood oozing down the front of his face.

"BOOYAH! YOU WILL NEVER ESCAPE ME! HA! I got ya this time Vinnie! Nyuk! Nyuk!"

That gleeful remark brought him out of shock instantly. His first reaction was the twitching of his eyes at the sound of his nickname. 'Vinnie? Vinnie… Not… again…' That was compounded by the fact that she finally managed to hit him after more than forty tries. Even worse was her victory dance being performed nearby. 'This… is… not… happening…' At this point, the ex-Turk firmly believed that his Outsider could spare a few bullets. 'Revenge is ever so sweet…'

BANG! BANG! BANG!

It was in the air for a millisecond before breaking apart. The carefully folded wings separated and the last bullet pierced the center of its body, leaving a smoking hole. What's left of it fell to the ground, fluttering downwards like dead leaves in a cool autumn day. Never will the green crane fly again. 'Never… Never will that abomination threaten me!' Vincent thought with a smidge of happiness.

The man in red looked over to see if the spunky ninja reacted to his shots. She was still dancing… 'No luck… I wonder what it'll take to get her attention… Maybe… … …'

Vincent almost smiled at the new thought. Seeing that his primary target was defeated and a secondary target was still available (and still doing her messed up victory dance nonetheless…), he put his Outsider away and simultaneously whipped out Redemption. 'Time to test my new creation… Heh…'

BOOM!

A thick silver bullet shot forth, lancing toward the dancing figure's head. With pinpoint accuracy, the slug tore through the knot holding her headband together. Two strips of forest green color fell. Instantly, the ninja stopped singing her song of joy and stilled.

There was silence… but it won't last long…

"THAT'S NOT FAIR VINNIE! YOU SORE LOSER! YOU CAN'T DO THAT!"

And thus, the two of them had another skirmish, probably their hundredth one so far. Yuffie's victory dance turned into a dance of rage, very similar to Galian Beast's berserk dance but far worse, involving both close combat and projectiles. In the end, Yuffie gave up because Vincent was leaping all over the place, still too fast for the ninja to catch. Failing miserably, she decided to throw every weapon she had, all her origami and boomerangs. Yes, it was a brilliant plan that the even the ex-Turk couldn't escape from unscathed. However, there was a drawback… Boomerangs come back.

It wasn't hard at all to throw thirty things in quick succession. It was impossible to catch all of them… in quick succession. After the smoke cleared, the battle was revealed to be a draw. Vincent made new plans to get a cloak since his current one is torn to shreds. Yuffie had to beg for help, being pinned to the wall. Her own weapons had trapped her.

"VINNIE! LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE!" The Wutainese yelled at the top of her lungs.

"… I think you yourself caused that." The man said while picking up the red scraps. 'They had so much sentimental value…'

"NO! This is all your fault! Don't deny it! MEANIE!"

"…"

"Don't ignore me!"

"…"

"Ooooooh… You're making me soooooo mad…"

"…"

"DAMN YOU! If you don't get me down by the count to three, I'll kick your ass!" Vincent paused. 'I guess she's been around Cid for way too long… Wait, how can she attack me if she's up there?'

"One…"

"…" The ex-Turk continued to pick up the remains of his cloak.

"Two…"

"…" Vincent moved further away, spying a trace of red moving away with the wind. 'Better get that one before it escapes me…'

"Two and a half…"

"…"

"Two and three quarters…"

"…"

"THREE! VINNIE! GET BACK HERE! GET BACK NOW!"

"I believe that people who wish to request a service should ask politely…" He replied, walking back triumphantly with all pieces in hand. 'Whew… That took longer than I thought…'

Yuffie growled but remained sane enough to be relatively calm. "Vinnie… Grrr… Will you… Grrr… get me down… Grrr… RIGHT… Grrr… NOW!"

Vincent eyed her quaking form. 'Does she really need my help?' He backed away a little before making another statement, one sure to make her blow up. "Requests usually employ the word 'please'…"

"WILL YOU SHUT THE HELL UP WITH THE PROPER… erm… What would that stuff be called? Hmmm… Wait! This is ruining the moment! WHATEVER! Will you PLEASE get me down oh mighty Vincent Valentine? Pretty please?" He took another step back. The man contemplated for a moment, wondering whether or not it would be in his best interest to free her. 'If I free her, she may try to get back at me… Revenge borne from revenge. The eternal cycle of destruction… It must stop. In addition, I think she learned her lesson… However, if possible, I think I should do so at a safe distance… … …No… No other way…'

"Yes my lady…" Vincent finally decided. He neared her and carefully removed each and every weapon sticking her to the wall.

"Sheesh… Took you long enough Vinnie!" Yuffie stomped on his foot.

Clink!

"… OUCH! JEEZ! What are your feet made out of? Metal?"

"Ummm… Yuffie, I have golden mithril boots on…" The formerly-cloaked man pointed at them.

"Erm… Ow… Heh… I knew that… Ow… Did it hurt? A little bit?"

"… No… It did not…"

"Damn!"

"… You know Yuffie… It's not proper to swear… You're learning too much from the pilot of the Highwind…"

"Fuck you!" She tried to give him her version of his death glare. Obviously, against a man who had demons inside of him, it didn't work. In fact, it almost elicited a smile from him.

"Well…" Her mischievous mind worked hard to pin Vincent with an accusation. "… Hey! It's your fault that we wasted this much time! It took forever for you to get me down!"

"Took you a long time to ask politely…" He countered.

'Touché," the young ninja thought. "HEY! LOOK! We're here!" Yuffie jumped up and down, pointing at the Final Heaven.

"… We were standing here for the last ten minutes Yuffie…" Vincent pointed out, slowly shaking his head. 'Thank Planet… I don't know if I can take any more of this insanity… This is too much… even for me…'

"So what? I saw it first! Nyuk! Nyuk!" And so, Yuffie forgot about their most recent fight and did another one of her crazy dances.

"…" A tired and worn-out Vincent sighed and dragged the feisty ninja to the entrance of the bar.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

The door opened suddenly and Barret barreled out, almost knocking over the duo standing close to the door. His eyes showed hope but it disappeared once he saw whom they were. It was as if he was expecting someone else. "Oh… It's just you two…"

"WHAT! Is that how you greet a friend?" Yuffie stomped forward and pulled her hand back. "YOU BASTAR- AAAAAAAAAH!"

Vincent quickly pulled her back by the collar. "Maybe it would be wise to invite us in…" Then he whispered into the ninja's ear. "Behave or I'll send you back to Wutai and try to resurrect Don Corneo!"

* * *

**Author's Note  
**Whew! Finally done! I know this is extremely short but this is pretty good for two days of rushed work. I completely messed up in my first try… If you really want to know, I made Yuffie too evil and Vincent way out of character (more than he is now). I also wanted to include a fight between the two but that'll probably be next… Anyways, I wish to leave you readers with another conversation between the characters of Final Fantasy… something like a compensation for the shortness of this chapter.

**Another Random Conversation  
**Free Corp Knight: Okies! Make some funny scene guys!

Vincent Valentine: …

Nanaki: I will not be used in such a manner... My time could be better spent elsewhere… (_pads away_)

Cid Highwind: Fuck you! (_leaves_)

Cloud Strife: … (_continues to mope_) … Tifa?

Tifa Lockhart: I'm here Cloud… Let's go somewhere else to talk… (_both of themleave_)

Free Corp Knight: Ummm… What about the gals?

Yuffie Kisagari: (_snitches Vincent's wallet_) Nyuk! Nyuk! Can't stay… Ermm… Gotta do my laundry! Bye!

Vincent Valentine: … (_follows Yuffie_)

Aeris Gainsborough: (_dead and still with the fishies_)… What kind of fish would live there anyways? O.o

Shera: Want some tea? (_drops off a tray of tea and leaves_)

Free Corp Knight: Could it get any worse?

Cait Sith: WANT ME TO READ YOUR FORTUNE?

Free Corp Knight: Ummm… No?

Reeve: C'mon! You gotta try it! He's new and improved!

Free Corp Knight: Oh alright… This better make sense…

Cait Sith: Here we go!

Cha-Cha-Cha-Ching!

Free Corp Knight: Ummm… This says "…"

Cait Sith: Yup! It makes sense!

Free Corp Knight: It… sure… does… I think… (_leaves and scratches head_)

**Author's Note  
**Another author and I had started up this cool new forum dealing with romances involving game/anime/manga characters. We'll take new members and would be real happy if you people would participate. Please visit us and register if you like at http/theirloves. 


	16. Forming a Plan

Disclaimer  
I do not own the rights to Final Fantasy VII or its movie: Advent Children. I had played the game on PS1 a long time ago and I do have the movie… But Square-Enix has all the rights and deserves the proper respect. Thus, if you are looking forward to suing a poor creative writer who wants to spread his or her gift of prose to the Internet world, sorry… You'll have to look somewhere else. I have warned you so unless I somehow change my mind with these boring disclaimers later on, don't even try.

Author's Note  
My fan fiction… It is so butchered up compared to the movie… I'm gonna write the next few chapters by the movie plot now… with my adaptions of course. The movie really didn't have any romantic scenes. None at all… Very disappointing but being the lucky readers you are, I WILL CHANGE THAT! (_lolz_)

ADVENT CHILDREN INFORMATION  
**WARNING! (Slight spoilers ahead! Please skip you don't want to know about it!) WARNING!**

There will be text with the letter 'Z' alternating in between the words. So, if you want to read about it and my own review of it, please copy this and paste it into Microsoft Word (if you have it… If you don't, it'll be harder). Then, I think you should go into Edit and Replace. Replace all the 'Z's with blank space and you should be done! Have fun!

OZnZe wZoZrZd tZo dZeZsZcZrZiZbZe tZhZe mZoZvZiZeZ… AZWZEZSZOZMZEZ!Z!Z! DZAZMZNZ!Z!Z! IZT IZS AZWZEZSZOZMZEZ!Z!Z!

SZqZuZaZrZeZ-ZEZnZiZx hZaZd iZmZpZrZeZsZsZeZd mZe wZiZtZh tZhZeZiZr fZiZnZaZl pZiZeZcZeZ… EZvZeZn tZhZoZuZgZh hZaZlZf oZf tZhZe sZtZuZfZf oZn tZhZe rZeZlZeZaZsZeZd tZrZaZiZlZeZrZs aZrZe nZoZt iZn tZhZe mZoZvZiZeZ, I aZm vZeZrZy iZmZpZrZeZsZsZeZd bZy tZhZe gZrZaZpZhZiZcZs aZnZd tZhZe fZiZgZhZt sZcZeZnZeZsZ. IZt iZs sZo bZeZaZuZtZiZfZuZlZ! TZhZeZy hZaZd mZuZsZiZc fZrZoZm tZhZe aZcZtZuZaZl gZaZmZeZ… eZsZpZeZcZiZaZlZlZy iZn TZiZfZa aZnZd LZoZzZ'Zs sZcZeZnZeZ! OZhZ! OZMZNZIZSZLZAZSZH IZS SZO CZOZOZLZ!Z!Z! CZlZoZuZd tZoZtZaZlZlZy kZiZcZkZeZd SZeZpZhZiZrZoZtZhZ'Zs bZuZtZtZ! OZhZ, tZhZe eZnZtZiZrZe TZuZrZk cZoZmZpZaZnZy iZs aZlZiZvZeZ… RZuZfZuZs aZnZd TZsZeZnZg iZnZcZlZuZdZeZdZ! TZhZaZt iZs aZlZl fZoZr nZoZwZ… OZn wZiZtZh tZhZe sZtZoZrZyZ…

* * *

Inside the Final Heaven, two figures sat next to each other, silent and still. Both Vincent and Yuffie were lost in thought, processing the new information they have acquired. The only other person in the room was standing at the opposite corner, leaned back against the wall with his head cradled between his dark-skinned hands.

Barret had told them all he knew about the situation, which in fact amounted to very little. Cloud then spared a few minutes to come downstairs and tell his side of the story. The mercenary gave far more details and provided crucial information about the enemy. Yet, despite its tactical importance, what he told worsened Barret's spirits, almost breaking him. After speaking, the blonde told them that he would return later to plan their next move. He quickly climbed back upstairs only to disappear into Tifa's room.

"…" Vincent bowed his head in concentration. 'If they're as strong as Cloud says, there will be great trouble for us ahead… But for now, what can we do? Should we all go out and search for the child? What to do…' He continued to plan ahead, oblivious to his surroundings.

"So…" Yuffie fidgeted nervously beside him. The quiet atmosphere was finally getting to her, getting too uncomfortable for the energetic ninja. "So… Vinnie, what do you think about there being three Sephiroths going around kidnapping the kids? It sucks doesn't it?" She elbowed the man to her right, trying to get some response from him.

The ex-Turk turned to her, nodding slightly and agreeing with her somewhat crude assessment. Actually, he paid little attention to her because he knew of her behavior and her whims come second to the lives of others... or so he thought at that moment. Still trying to come up with a perfect plan to deal with this situation, Vincent failed to notice the anger forming in the Wutain's eyes until it was too late.

"Vinnie… C'mon, what do you think? Do you have a plan?" Yuffie persisted. She punched his shoulder, emphasizing her resolve to get him to speak. He repeated his previous response.

"C'mon! SAY SOMETHING!" The shinobi got up and stamped her feet. When that didn't work, she jumped up and down accusing him of being a bad friend.

"…" Vincent shut his eyes and tried to get back on track. After all, he did endure her presence throughout the journey and this should be nothing compared to their earlier incident involving dangerous projectiles.

"That's it… You left me no choice Vinnie…" Yuffie readied herself by taking a deep breath. Then she got up into the cloaked man's face.

"FUCK YOU!"

Their reaction was immediate. Barret and Vincent's heads shot up so fast that they suffered whiplash. "Ermm… Damn vampire… Why don't you tell her what you've been thinking of?" Fear was evident in the gunman's eyes. 'Crazy girl!'

"Well…" Vincent began. "I think we should get on with our mission… We need to contact the others…"

Yuffie plopped back onto couch and let out a defeated sigh. 'One day… I will get through to you and nothing you can do will stop that… Nothing! Muah! Ha! Ha!'

Vincent and Barret stared at Yuffie. Both of them sweat-dropped. 'Why is Yuffie laughing evilly? … I don't think she realizes that she is laughing either…'

Several minutes later, long after the maniacal laughter had died down, two figures exited the bar. Vincent and Yuffie looked at each other, their eyes telling all. Their mind and body bore the heavy burden of responsibility. Once again, the fate of the world rests upon their shoulders. 'Will we ever find true peace?' The enigmatic man wondered. ' Will we ever be able to break free of this cycle of destruction?'

Right then, two familiar figures approached them and a red-haired person greeted them. "What's up, yo?"

Meanwhile, back in the rooms upstairs, Tifa awoke. Her red-brown eyes opened slowly only to see darkness.

"Reno and them are searching for her." A voice came from her left, spoken by a person hidden in the shadows. Yet, even though he can't be seen, Tifa knew that it was Cloud.

"What… What are you sorry for?" She asked. Not even waiting for a response, she tried to sit up on her bed, grunting with effort and pain. A gloved hand pushed her back down. Too tired to resist, her head fell back onto the soft pillow.

"I'm sorry for everything…" He replied.

'Damn men…' She thought. 'Trying to take the whole world on their shoulders… Acting perfect and all… Never asking for help…' She glowered at him, trying to intimidate him even in the darkness.

"Damn it Cloud. Stop with that! And… wait… Marlene!" Tifa immediately shot up, her eyes panicky.

"Teef! Lie back! It's too late but we're doing everything we can to try and find her. It's not your fault…" Cloud got up and restrained her, his face finally coming into view. Somehow, seeing him comforted her and all the stress melted away. 'How could he do this to me? Even in a time like this…'

They both moved back to their former positions, their faces hidden from each other by the shadows. Tifa grew nervous without knowing for sure that he was still there. Then, she remembered Marlene's discovery at the church.

"It's Geostigma… Isn't it?" She asked the question even though she fully knew the answer. Cloud didn't respond.

"It's alright if I die… Isn't that what you're thinking?" She continued. A long pause followed. "As I thought…" Tifa looked away from him.

"There is no cure…" Cloud finally said, defending himself.

"But Denzel! He's one of ours. He looks up to you! He's trying his best isn't he?" Tifa countered. "Why don't you try fighting with us instead of running away? We could all help each other and try our best!"

Seeing Cloud's head drop, her hopes were crushed. "I guess we can't do that because we're not a real family right?" A longer pause followed.

"I can't save anyone. I don't think I can even save myself so how can I save another?" The blond admitted.

"… Have we lost to our memories? Do you still like Aeris? Is everything between us just a lie?" She asked. Tears started to form again. This was just what she needed after experiencing the pain of losing Marlene.

"But… We let her die…" He protested. "And I came too late for you two…"

"Don't you see? Aeris chose her path. She left us all to go there and she knew what would happen to her if she went out alone… And Marlene, she stayed for me…" Tifa reasoned. "It's not your fault…"

"I still let her down…" With a huff, he turned around, indicating the end of this subject.

"So… What are you going to do now? Are you going to go after Marlene?"

"Actually, I was thinking that I'll go to Reno and Rude and help them out. She is Barret's daughter so it'll be-" He never got to finish when he was interrupted by her sighs.

"Drifting… Drifting… Drifting… When are you gonna realize that you're not alone?" She eyed where she believed him to be. "You're always drifting… When are you gonna settle down and find the place where you belong?"

"… I don't know… But since he's her father-" He tried to talk but was cut off again.

"Drifting… Drifting… Drifting…" Cloud stood up, partly out of frustration but more of denial.

"I don't know if I can do it…" He started to doubt himself, running his hand through his hair.

"You know you can. I know you can. Please… Do it for Marlene… She needs you…" Tifa pleaded.

Cloud gave a grunt and looked Tifa in the eye. She matched his stare and saw a spark of his true self, the warrior to whom she fell in love with. "I'll think about it… But you'll have to tell the Turks though."

"Oh dear me… I'll have to call the guy who wants to go out with me while you have to save a little girl from three strong bad guys… I have such a hard job… " She said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

Cloud chuckled and moved toward the door. Before leaving, he paused as if trying to find the words to say goodbye.

"Just go… Sheesh… And you're the one that managed to kill Sephiroth… The leader of Avalanche…" She waved him off weakly.

"Fine fine… I'm going…" Cloud was about to open it when it slammed open.

"Hi yo!" Reno strode in with his cocky manner. Rude was right behind him, finding a bit of trouble squeezing his large frame through the door.

"We know where they are" Reno bragged, tapping his nightstick on his shoulder.

"The Forgotten Capital," Rude got straight to the point. "The Sleeping Forest."

"Hmmm… I hate to ask this…Can you two handle it?" Cloud asked, his face hidden from Tifa's.

"Don't run… Please… Don't run…" She begged, reaching for his hand. The two touched and began to argue over what to do.

Reno and Rude both decided that now's not the time to intervene between the loving couple. "Pssst… You're not supposed to tell him! C'mon, we could have got him to do something for us! He could have owed us one…"

Rude merely jabbed his side. Reno countered with a headlock. However, due to Rude's taller stature, all the trapped man had to do was straighten his back.

"Fine… I'll do it… for sure this time… I won't run…" Cloud finally said. The Turks quit their childish behavior and snapped to attention. When the two lovebirds refocused onto them, they saw two model Turks.

Hearing Cloud's words, Reno headed out. "We'll work with our boss. You'll go get those brats… See ya!" And so, the two Shinra employees left with Rude slamming the door behind him. Cloud followed soon after. "Take care Tifa."

When he got downstairs, Barret was waiting for him. Cloud gave him a brief of his plan. "Remember, you'll be the one who gets to Cid. I don't think Yuffie will be enough to convince him. You're our best bet." Cloud reminded his companion.

"Hell yeah! Damn fool probably think of her pulling a prank on him or trying to get his fucking materia… I'll make sure that he comes along. If he doesn't…" Barret changed his arm into a gun, displaying his resolve.

"Okay… That's good. Just make sure he picks up Red and that Yuffie tags along. Vincent and I will head out toward the forest. Tell the guy that he should start ahead of me. I'm staying with Tifa for another day."

"Sure… Take care now… the both of you…" And thus, Barret parted ways, leaving Cloud behind with his childhood friend. He quickly exited the building, eager to inform the two waiting outside.

"The brat comes with me to Cosmos Canyon. Vampy boy gets to go North. Got that you two?" He asked while walking past them.

"HEY! Why do I have to go with you? Why can't I go with Vincent?" Yuffie whined.

"Yuffie… It's alright… We'll meet up later." Vincent said, giving her a pat on the head.

"Fine…" She conceded. "Barret, give me a second… I'll be right with you after this…" The Wutainese dragged Vincent away. Once out of earshot, she jabbed her finger at him. "We have to talk!"

"Why don't you want me with you? Really?" She asked. "I'm not good enough right? I'm the great ninja Yuf-"

Vincent leaned in close and gave her a full kiss on the lips, cutting off the young shinobi. Yuffie stood in shock for a full ten seconds, unable to comprehend what just happened. Then, she leaned into it, returning the kiss. Just before Yuffie's breath ran out, they broke off.

"… I don't want you to come to harm… Please do it for me…" Vincent said, staring deep into her stormy eyes.

"Sure… Vinnie… I'll do it…" She gasped out, still a bit breathless from the kiss before.

"Good…" Vincent turned and headed out, giving Barret a cold glare when he passed by. "Don't speak of it. Forget what you've seen or else…"

Barret's grin disappeared instantly once he heard those death-assuring words. 'Damn… Dunno who's worse… Vampy or Sephiroth…'

"Hiya Barret!" Yuffie popped up right before him. "Let's go!"

Barret groaned and ran his flesh hand down his face. 'No… The brats the worst of them all…'

Yuffie didn't notice his reaction because she was bouncing down the street, humming happily to herself. 'This only the second time he'd kissed me… The first time doesn't really count but… IT WAS GREAT! Can't wait to do that again! Oh… I have to control myself… Deep breathes… Wait… Where am I going?" She turned around to see Barret a fair distance away, waving his arms around in apparent anger. 'Maybe I should wait for him… He sure is slow…'

* * *

Author's Notes  
It's really hard to write my story now after watching the movie like fifty times (_grins_). Plus, my fic started out based on the trailers available on the Square-Enix site and SURPRISE! Half of them weren't in the movie. Yes, you know that scene when Kadaj stand in the middle of the road and shoots out those blue magic bolts at Cloud, blowing him and his bike high into the air? IT DOESN'T EXIST! Yeah… That aspect is a bit disappointing but the movie by itself… If you're watching it, let's just say you'll be worshipping it for the next week or so (_smiles_)…

Randomness  
Reno: Who's the best Turk of all? ME! 

Rude: … I think I performed better than you…

Reno: Oh really? Who got thrown around by Loz? Hmmm? (_gets up in Rude's face_)

Rude: Who flew through the air with just a single kick? (_pushes Reno away_)

Reno: Well… It was pretty strong…

Rude: … Yazoo didn't even use his weapon…

Reno: Neither did… Wait… Loz always has his on… (_frowns_)

Rude: … (_adjusts his sunglasses_)

Free Corp Knight: HEY YOU TWO! STOP IT! YOU'RE SPOILING IT!

Reno: Fine, let's settle this once and for all! (_grabs author_) Who's the best Turk? Me or him (_points at Rude_)?

Free Corp Knight: Neither… I think Elena and Tseng would be better but the best? Hmmm… Vincent Valentine. No contest there. (_brushes off Reno and walks away_)

Reno and Rude: (_mouths drop open_) …

(Far away but still in the listening range of one particular character…)

Vincent Valentine: … (_gives a rare smile_)…


	17. The Change

Disclaimer  
How many times do I have to go over this? This is so a waste of my time. I spent like a full minute making up words saying that I don't own Final Fantasy VII and most definitely, not Square-Enix. I played the game and watched the movie. Both were amazingly good pieces of work but I don't have the rights to them. That is all. Oh, just in case you readers didn't get the gist of this message… DO NOT SUE ME!

Author's Note  
Okies… This will be the chapter involving a Vincent battle involving… well… you'll just have to find out. I hope that proves to be quite entertaining in the action and humor aspect. Oh, besides that, this will tell what happens to all the children in the Sleeping Forest and how Kadaj gets to summon that big dragon named Bahamut Sin later on. Actually, you'll get to see another summon come in here… I bet you people won't expect it. Ha! Ha! Ha!

* * *

Somewhere in the Outskirts of the Sleeping Forest

'Trust… It is a precious feeling to have faith in another and for that person to return that faith… It is a mark of being human, separating man from beast. I truly dread a future where that bond is lost… I hope that her trust in me holds… even in this crisis…' A soft sigh followed those worrisome thoughts. Pulling the cloak closer around his body, the man sought refuge in its voluminous folds. Then, his grip relaxed. 'Why? … Why do I do this? Why do I react in this manner even if I cannot feel its warmth?'

Vincent instead slid further into the shadows, brooding comfortably in the darkness with solitude as his sole companion. 'Why? …Why did I do that?' He reached up and touched his lips, stroking them gently and reminiscing of the last few seconds he shared before leaving her. 'Why does it feel so right even though I have so many doubts… We had kissed before, two years ago in fact… This made it the second time we've touched each other like that… There is so much more at stake now and I must take care not to lose her… That cannot happen… It must not… As long as I exist in this world, I will protect her against all harm… even if it comes from myself…'

After a long pause, he realized what he was doing. Blinking his eyes, his focus returned to reality. Yet the thoughts still lingered. Shaking his head vigorously, he cleared his mind. 'I should listen to Yuffie… I should refrain from thinking so much. I must not worry myself with what I cannot control… Anyways, I must concentrate on the task at hand. Cloud is relying on my expertise… I must go now. Too much time had been spent here… Time wasted over such foolish concerns…'

The ex-Turk leapt up, his crimson cloak billowing around him during the ascent. Like a demon borne into the mortal world, he dashed along the treetops, running from branch to branch. The only sign of his passing was a blur of red and a glint of gold coming from his feral eyes. No creature in its right mind would dare track him. He was the hunter, a dangerous one. Nothing will keep him from his objective.

'Haste… I must make haste…'

The Ancient City

Deep in the heart of the Sleeping Forest, a small group of children climbed off an old Shinra transport truck. There were both boys and girls, ranging from five-year-olds to teenagers. Yet, every one of them shared one distinct characteristic. All had either bluish-black bruises on their skin or a thick gray bandage covering it. Any person who lived on Planet knew that these were the ominous marks of Geostigma. They were doomed children.

"Come… We must follow him. Only a little bit more and then we're normal again…" A little girl around twelve years of age reached her hand out to the boy next to her. Denzel looked at her hand for a second before shyly accepting it. He let himself be led away, just like yesterday afternoon.

(_Flashback_)

"You have it don't you?"

Denzel stopped playing in the streets and looked up, very surprised by her voice. It was quite rare that a stranger would approach another person who clearly has Geostigma. Thus, it came as a shock to him that a random girl would dare to get near him, nonetheless talk to him. Yet, that surprise was compounded when he saw the stuffed face of a moogle doll. Staring at the black stitching of its eyes, he could hardly speak. "H-H-Huh?"

"Hee hee… You're a funny boy! Up here…" A tall girl chuckled at his confusion. After seeing whom the person really was, he quickly looked down, his brown bangs covering his forehead. He didn't do it out of shyness. Instead, he was trying to hide the bruise on there.

"There's no need to be ashamed of that. You're like us aren't you?" She pointed to her arms, which were affected by the same malady. "Don't you want to be cured?"

Denzel immediately nodded. What this girl had just mentioned was his greatest hope. He had always wanted to get healthy and be an ordinary child, just like Marlene… His adoptive mom, Tifa, had always told him to keep fighting and never give up hope. She told him that one day, a remedy would be found and he would be the first to be cured. Now that the bridge between fantasy and reality stood before him, he believed that the time had come. The wait was over.

"Will you join us?" She held out her hand, beckoning for him to come with her. Without any hesitation, he took her offer and was led away. Navigating through several back alleys, he soon found himself looking at the rear end of a truck. Two men with silver hair were watching nearby, counting the number of children getting onboard. The one with the shorter hair smiled at his arrival.

"That's enough… We have to get going now… Yazoo?" The speaker's companion nodded and got into the driver's seat. Revving the old engine, the convoy of children headed north, toward salvation... or so they believed.

(_End Flashback_)

'Soon… Soon…' Denzel thought as he traveled further into the ethereal forest. "I will be cured…"

Elsewhere in the Sleeping Forest

"So… Brother was hiding this from us?" Kadaj asked, pointing to the box of materia open before them. The magical baubles glowed in their metal case; command materia yellow, summons blue, and magic a pale green.

Loz, the one who had made the discovery, nodded. "I found them while retrieving her…" He tightened his grip around Marlene who was now conscious. She squirmed in pain.

Kadaj moved over and picked up one of the orbs, a blue one. "The power borne from the Lifestream… Materia!" Then, he gave a weak laugh. "Ironic isn't it brothers? We're using the same power we intend to destroy…"

"Yes…" Kadaj said as he pressed the Bahamut summon against his left arm. "These materia will give us a new power… They will make us stronger so that we make destroy this Planet. Yes…" As he said this, black tendrils of smoke came out and wrapped themselves around it, pulling it into the leather sleeve. Soon, the orb containing the dragon summon disappeared, its abilities absorbed into his body. A deep blue glow emanated from his forearm for a few seconds before winking out.

"Come brothers. Let us share the rewards…" Their leader meant share by giving one to each of his companions and having the rest to himself. Loz received a Time materia while Yazoo received a summon, like Bahamut but obviously a different entity. The three absorbed their new powers and looked at each other.

"The children…" Kadaj began. "They need guidance coming here… Yazoo, go get them here. We must prepare them for the Reunion. Such gullible fools to follow us… Stupid children… Loz, watch her. Our time will come… It nears… Soon, the Reunion will come upon this pitiful world and Mother will be here for us!"

Ancient City

Denzel looked around him. He was standing in the second row but his eyes were drawn elsewhere. Like the rest of them, his attention was focused on the four figures on the other side of the lake. If he were a little more clear-minded, he would recognize the area. It was the same place where Cloud presumably laid to rest Aeris. Her body should still be there, preserved by the sheer cold and pureness in its deep watery depths. Yet, these thoughts were not on his mind.

All he saw were the three silver-haired men and the little girl standing next to them. 'What's Marlene doing here? Wait… She must be here to see us get better… She's so kind… Don't worry. Soon, I'll be normal just like you… I'm doing this for you…' He had promised her a long time ago that he could take care of himself and not be a burden to anyone else. 'I'll finally be able to keep my promise…'

"I've received a special power from Mother!" Kadaj proclaimed. "A power to fight against this planet, which hurts the people living in it!"

"Actually, you all have this power!" He revealed, pointing to the assembled crowd. "That's right! We're all siblings. We're a family!"

'A family?' Denzel wondered. He was not the only one pondering over this new concept. 'Am I not already in a family? There's Marlene, Tifa, and Cloud… Even though Cloud isn't there for us nowadays… No, he doesn't want to be part of us because of me. We are not a family yet. No… Once I get better, then he'll come back and we'll live happily ever after…'

"We are all chosen siblings who have inherited Mother's cells that were absorbed in the Lifestream!" He shouted, throwing his hands up into the air. Then, his voice turned dark with hatred. "But… The planet is trying to interfere… It's trying to stunt our growth! That's why our bodies hurt and our hearts seem to give up. Geostigma is its weapon!"

Kadaj captured their eyes. "I'll cure you… And we'll all go to Mother together!" His body started to give off a smoky haze. A sinister glow surrounded him, giving each child weird vibes. "We'll bring our powers together…" The glow intensified with each word. "And we'll strike back at the planet!" All the energy he held in suddenly focused and a bolt of it shot high into the sky, exploding in the distance. This event did not go on unnoticed. In fact, a pair of golden eyes watched from a distance. 'Hmmm… What was that? What are they doing?' Vincent wondered.

The silver-haired man that he was watching relaxed and tried to take on a parental tone. "Follow my lead…" He said while walking into the lake. As he moved deeper and deeper, the translucent water turned opaque as if it was filled with ash. Tendrils of black moved outwards, spreading their taint to the other side. The children all took a step back, frightened by the change.

Kadaj sighed and motioned them to come closer. When the first child moved forward, he smiled. Under his breath so that none of them could hear, he gave a sigh of satisfaction. "Heh… It is all going according to plan…" Once the majority of them were in, he then cupped his hands into the water and brought it up to face level. Throwing his head back, the man downed the drink and power seemed to flow into him. 'So it is true…' Denzel thought. 'He can cure us…' Not so far away, hiding in the treetops, Vincent spied the act. 'What is going on? What happened to the lake? Darkness?'

The rest of the children followed Kadaj's example. Wallowing in the waist-deep water, they appeared to be moving through an oil slick. With their hands together, all of them held the liquid as if it was precious gold. Soon, they would be free of their disease. So soon…

"Denzel…" Marlene mumbled. She felt so powerless to stop him with Loz watching over her. If Tifa couldn't defeat him, she has even less of a chance. None at all… Helplessly, the girl watched her best friend drink the liquid.

When Denzel looked up, she saw something different in his eyes. In fact, all of the children seemed to have changed, their energies drained. They stood silent and expressionless as if they lost their own free will. Squinting so that she could see better, she saw that their eyes had changed. Instead of a round brown iris in her friends face, Marlene found greenish reptilian eyes looking back at her.

"Denzel!" She yelled but it was to no avail. The change was complete. The child she knew of before was of no more.

"Loz! Prepare for the arrival of our brother…" Kadaj ordered while getting out of the lake. Turning around, he addressed the mass still standing there. "Brothers and sisters… Watch over this little girl and find a nice spot to hide… We wish to surprise our relative… The trees are a good place…" Immediately, Denzel leapt inhumanly high into the air and landed gracefully before Marlene. Taking her hand, he held it in a vice-like grip. With no choice, she was led away by the abomination that was her companion.

"Yazoo! As for you, take care of our pesky guest… He has seen far too much…"

'What!' Vincent wondered in the distance. 'How did he know that I was here? What is that one doing?' The man named Yazoo approached his position nonchalantly. His gunblade was comfortable positioned on his leg, ready for use.

Vincent knew that he had hostile intentions and loaded his gun in preparation of the fight ahead. There was no use for hiding anymore once his presence was known. Standing tall, he aimed at the silver-haired man.

Yazoo ignored the threat and muttered under his breath, annoyed by his menial duty. 'Brother is near and I have to take care of this? I'm missing out on the fun…' Then he remembered what he acquired before. 'Hmmm… Power of Planet? There may be a way out of this…' He looked at this arm and a blue glow came forth. "Come forth… slave…"

The skies above darkened and a portal opened from within the black masses. Two objects came out, materializing out from nothing. Translucent strings followed and quickly bound together, starting to form a definite shape. Yazoo, finished with his summoning, smiled at the other gunman. "Heh…" That was all he said before turning around and running in the opposite direction to catch up with his brothers.

"What is that?" Vincent questioned while he watched one of the forms fly at him. With perfect timing, he dodged to the right and was at a safe distance before a large black object fell on top of his former position. Looking back, he saw a huge crater and of all the things in it, an obese chocobo. "Is that… fat choco-"

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaark!"

A scream from behind alerted him of another enemy. Jumping into the air, he twirled around just to see another chocobo running at his former position. This one, also black, looked far more athletic than the previous one. 'Another? This will be challenging…'

BANG! BANG! BANG!

He fired several shots at the bird's feet, trying to scare it away first before doing real harm. It didn't even slow down. Once the man landed on his feet, Vincent looked around and decided to get to higher ground. He proceeded to run up one of the trees. 'From this height, it shouldn't be abl-' His thoughts were cut off as the bird followed, blazing up to him.

'Too fast…' He thought while trying to jump clear. He was correct. The bird managed to clip him and its attack had enough power to send him spinning to the ground below.

THUMP!

Vincent landed on his back and during the descent, he lost his grip on Redemption. 'Damn!' He was reaching for it just when a shadow fell over him.

BOOM!

The fat chocobo crashed on top of his left arm, trapping his claw under its bulk. The man tried to wrench his arm free but it was to no avail. The bird didn't even acknowledge his attempts. "Wark!" It remarked happily, content that it had captured its prey.

'Oh crap…' Vincent thought as he saw the Choco-Mog summon jump back down. Its amber eyes focused on his fallen figure. "Wark!" For the first time, he felt vulnerable. 'This can't get any worse…'

Just then, a low rumble could be heard and felt from the ground. 'Sounds like a motorcycle… Wait! That's Cloud!' With that thought in mind, he increased his struggles. Bit by bit, he was able to more movement from his metal fingers. 'There isn't enough time to pull this out… Forgive me Yuffie… for hurting your summon…' Vincent then clawed the underside of the fat chocobo, tearing away a massive feathery chunk of flesh.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAARK!" The bird complained and immediately got off his arm. 'Finally free…' He thought as he rolled away safely. As for the fat creature, it slowly limped away, its lifeblood seeping away from the massive wound on its lower torso. It was out of the fight… for now.

'One down and another to go…' Vincent realized before moving away from the other Choco-Mog summon. 'One more to go…' He picked up his gun and reloaded it, keeping his eye on the other creature. 'Just one…'

Just Outside the Sleeping Forest

Cloud raced down the only road leading to the infamous woods. It was night and the only light available came of his headlights and the mystical trees that surrounded him. Moving at such great speeds, the blonde saw the forest as a blur of white. Eventually, all disappeared into that blank color and he felt as if he was in another world, just pushed into it.

At first, he was alone. Then, there was another presence, standing right behind him. Yet, even though that person just appeared out of nothingness, Cloud wasn't worried at all. It had a calm and soothing aura, peaceful to both his mind and body.

"So you showed up…" A feminine voice said. Cloud turned his head slightly and saw that his surroundings had changed. He was standing in a field of flowers, stretching out into the distance in all directions. They were the same blooming yellow and white flowers he taken care of in Midgar, in Aeris's church. In addition to that, he glimpsed the person's shoulder. She was wearing pink and there was only one person he knew who wore that color. 'Aeris…' He thought.

"Even though you're falling apart…" She continued while placing a hand on his arm like a kind and caring mother would. "I'm sure this will be a good thing…" Cloud responded by relaxing his body, loosening up his tense muscles. A short pause followed.

"Question!" The Ancient exclaimed. "Why exactly did you come here?"

"I…" Cloud began. "I wish to be forgiven. Yes, I want to be forgiven."

Aeris giggled and smartly responded. "By who?"

Then, like his entrance into this place, he was thrust back into reality. Cloud still looked back, expecting to see her gentle face. No, all he saw was the road behind and empty space. He was back in the Sleeping Forest, riding his Fenrir, alone.

BANG! BANG!

Two bullets whizzed by, nicking his head. He immediately turned his attention back to the road and focused at the three forms up ahead. The two on the sides were shooting. One of them had a blue-glowing forearm. 'Something to enhance accuracy or damage?' Cloud wondered. The one in the middle only smiled.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

More shots were fired and these were getting more and more accurate. Cloud leaned closer, ducking down so he was less of a target. Pressing the button in his bike, the sides opened up. He didn't reach for any of the swords. There was no need for them at this distance. His motorcycle would be enough to block the bullets, acting as a massive moving shield. Sparks flew from its polished pitch-black surface.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

More bullets followed and at this moment, Cloud picked two swords, holding one in each hand. He blocked one of them as it was aimed at his chest.

PING!

The two figures on the sides stopped firing as their companion advanced confidently. Drawing his sword in one hand, with the other, he made a signal in the air, twirling it as if ordering the round up of something. Children started to appear, jumping down from their hiding place from the trees above. Positioning themselves between Cloud and his opponents, they created a living barrier between the two forces. 'What?' He wondered as the headlights fell upon to particular people, Denzel and Marlene. The two were standing right in his way. Marlene was attempting to get off the road but wouldn't let go of Denzel's hand. The boy seemed different. In fact, all of them except Marlene seemed to have changed. 'Wait…'

Cloud's Mako-enhanced eyes locked onto Denzel's and he saw that they were reptilian, just like... 'Oh no…' He thought before a flash of pain raced up his arm. Then, he lost control.

Around the Ancient City

BANG! BANG!

Vincent kept moving backwards, firing at the Choco-Mog summon. Tufts of black feathers and flesh were blown away but it kept charging towards him. 'Damn… Cloud's gonna need help soon if he's going to face all three…' With a stoic expression, he watches as the bird tried to peck him. Dodging and reloading at the same time, he ended up several meters away and ready to shoot once more. 'Different tactic… Immobilization…'

BANG!

The first bullet went straight for its right eye, blasting away half of its vision. The other half quickly followed with the second bullet.

BANG!

Now, the summon was totally blind, unable to see its enemy which is now swiftly maneuvering toward its defenseless backside. "WARK!" It shouted helplessly, rendered totally useless since it doesn't know which direction to charge and whether or not the path was clear of obstacles. "Wark?"

Vincent was now behind the chocobo, his opponent fully exposed to any attack. His claw glowed a slight blue as he deftly unleashed a close-range rapid attack, aiming for the fowl's skinny neck. Within seconds, the ex-Turk dealt more than twenty slashs, each of them creating a deep groove that gushed with blood.

"W-w-wark…" The bird cried before passing away, its head connected to its body by only a thin strip of flesh. "Forgive me…" Vincent said, watching as the body decomposed into black ashes returning to whatever plane of existence it came from. "But you were corrupted and there was no other choice. I am sorry…"

Crack! SNAP!

A twig snapped behind him, alerting him that the other bird had recovered… or at least enough to get to him. The wound was worse than he first evaluated. About the size of his fist, the hole had stopped bleeding not due to clotting but because there was little blood left. In fact, it didn't seem as though it would be in the mortal world for any longer.

"Wark…" The fat chocobo said before it collapsed on top of its sibling's remains. During its descent, it faded into ashes, merging with its fallen comrade. Vincent bowed his head in respect. 'We will all someday return to the Planet… Now, Cloud… I hope your skills haven't diminished…' His flowing red cloak fluttered as Vincent took off to where Cloud should be. 'I hope I'm not too late…'

* * *

Author's Note

So… How did you all like it? Was it fun? Don't you wish you could fight a chocobo? Ha! Ha! Vincent is the best! HE RULEZ! Oh, I am so very sorry that this update came so late. I actually had most of this done weeks ago but things kept popping up like projects and homework. I'm so sorry but the next few chapters will come out the same… like whenever I have time… Sorry… As for Advent Children related information, I still worship it!

Random Conversation  
Reno: (_walks in eating something…_) 

Rude: …

Yuffie Kisagari: What are you eating?

Reno: (_munch_) KFC…

Yuffie Kisagari: Huh? What's KFC? Never heard of it… Is it good?

Reno: Kalm Fried Chocobo (_munch_)… You want some? Very tasty! (_offers a drumstick_)

Yuffie Kisagari: WHAT! YOU MURDERER! (_equips her Conformer_)

Free Corp Knight: (_walks in_)

Yuffie Kisagari: I WILL KILL YOU! (_charges at Reno_)

Reno: Aiyeee! (_screams and runs away like a scared little girl_)

Rude: (_follows to watch_)

Free Corp Knight: (_stands still and thinks to self_) I really check before entering…

Reno: (_runs by screaming bloody murder_) HELP ME!

Yuffie Kisagari: (_chases after him trying to stab Reno with Conformer_) CHOCOBO MURDERER! DIE!

Rude: (_follows and tries to keep his laughter in_)

Free Corp Knight: (_takes a picture_) This should be worth something… Blackmail maybe… (_goes off and posts it on sale on eBay_)


End file.
